


Kindred

by faded_enigma



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Consensual Kink, Dirty Talk, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:07:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 37,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29116485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faded_enigma/pseuds/faded_enigma
Summary: Over a century after leaving Mystic Falls behind, Bonnie Bennett finally decides to make a return. Quickly getting sucked into the world of the Salvatores, she finds herself encountering their foe-of-the-week, Kai Parker. Things get complicated when she learns that they have a lot in common. AU set in the Vampire Diaries TV world. Featuring Witch/Vampire Hybrids!Bonnie and Kai.
Relationships: Bonnie Bennett/Malachai "Kai" Parker
Comments: 48
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Notes: Hello, friends! So, I used to be a very active writer waaay back in the day and then hit severe writer's block that had me leaving all forms of writing behind. However, I have ALWAYS been an active reader. Over the last 2-3 years, I was sucked into the Vampire Diaries world. I ship a lot of pairings, but the Bonnie/Kai fandom tickles my creative fancy (and honestly, Bonnie with almost anybody gives me feels). So I decided to start writing again. This is my first foray into this pairing and I hope I do it justice.
> 
> This fic starts off slow and i apologize in advance for that. However, being that it's an AU, but still set in the world we know and love, I had to spend quite a bit of time illustrating what's different in my world vs. Julie Plec's. But I promise once the exposition ends, we're going to get into some fun stuff. Thanks for coming to my little corner of the net!

She needed a drink.

Booking a last-minute trip to Mystic Falls from Barcelona had not been a good idea. Two stops and a 5-hour delayed flight in Miami had left her feeling cranky and irritable. She'd known for months that it was time to come back here, yet had procrastinated and put things off until she'd finally pushed herself to make the leap.

She was deeply regretting that decision.

Stepping foot into the local grill, she made her way to the bar and hopped unceremoniously onto an empty stool. Her duffel bag was dropped carelessly below her feet.

The lone employee set down the glass he'd been wiping and gave her a friendly smile. "Hi, what can I get ya?" he asked, throwing the towel over his shoulder.

"Two shots of Jameson." She could hear the edge in her voice and quirked her mouth into a grin to remove some of the sting. "Sorry. Long day." The bartender raised an eyebrow and grabbed two shot glasses from the shelf below, setting them in front of her. He turned to the liquor stock and pulled the bottle of choice, pouring the amber liquid into the glasses. Seeing the tight knit of her brows, he made a point to fill them to the brim.

"At 3 in the afternoon?" he asked even while sliding the shooters towards her. She downed them quickly in succession and raised her finger to indicate that she wanted another one.

" _Really_ long day," she replied, taking the proffered jigger and downing the third. It burned going down her throat, but she didn't flinch. She needed more, so much more. There were a lot of benefits to being supernatural, but her inhuman tolerance for alcohol was not one of them. Most liked to brag about how they could lay waste to a bottle without issue. She found it annoying that she needed to fill her stomach to an uncomfortable level just to get a buzz.

She raised her finger again causing the bartender to chuckle before making another pour. "In fact, you should probably just leave the whole thing." She had already begun to reach out for the green bottle, but he slid it away and shook his head.

"Sorry, I would, but that's against the rules." His tone was apologetic and he seemed sincere, but there was no way she was accepting that answer. She leaned a bit closer to capture his gaze and forced him to focus on her eyes.

"You're going to give it to me, go help the folks sitting at the end of the bar, and leave me alone unless I ask for you," she said, her voice firm. She watched his pupils dilate before he blinked a few times, seemingly coming out of a daze. He smiled, setting the bottle in front of her without further argument before turning his attention to the only other three people sitting in the place. She yanked the pourer out of the top and refilled the three glasses sitting in front of her. Glancing down the bar at the bartender's back, she sighed, digging in her jacket pocket to pull out some cash. She tossed the wad of bills onto the bar top, figuring that it would more than pay for everything she imbibed.

She'd barely managed to down another two before she was interrupted. A man with perfectly coiffed, dark blonde hair—seriously, how much product did he use—sat himself down to her right and smirked before taking a glance at the alcohol she was now holding hostage.

"Interesting how you managed to swing that," he stated conversationally while signaling the barman for two fingers of bourbon. He quickly turned his attention back to her, a hint of a smirk gracing his features. "I have it on pretty good authority that he's not supposed to just hand those out." Downing yet another shot, she sniffed and tilted her head to the side as she took in his form. He looked no older than seventeen, but she knew better than that. She knew exactly who he was and had a pretty good idea of his real age.

"I'm a very good negotiator." She made it clear that she didn't want to be disturbed. There'd be time for conversation later. Right now, she just wanted to drink until she felt that telltale pleasurable warmth and then figure out what her next steps were. But if she knew anything about him, she knew that he wasn't going to back down.

"Funny, so am I," he said with a knowing grin before he took a swig of his own drink. "And that's why I know that it would take more than just a conversation to get him to give you the whole thing. He's very strict about it." She let out a small chuckle. He was obviously sizing her up, trying to figure who, or rather what, she was. She would normally find it audacious for people to just come up and make assumptions, but vampires had that way about them. Refusing to play by the rules of social etiquette because they didn't need to.

"So," she starts, dragging the word out, "are you saying that I used my feminine wiles to convince him to give me what I want?" The woman raised an eyebrow and feigned disgust. "Because that's just offensive." He smirked again, a smile she was sure had women falling at his feet, but it just made her want to roll her eyes.

"I think you know that that's not what I'm implying at all," he replied softly, unfazed by her expression. "I think that you're a stranger who just decided to show up out of nowhere to our very small town. I'm sure you know we don't really get tourists passing through." The smile was replaced with a shrewd and calculating look. "And the people that _do_ pass through tend to make a mess. I saw you compel our dear local bar manager to give you that bottle. Now, I'm trying to figure out if you're somebody we need to worry about."

She laughed then, a loud bark of a laugh and put her right arm up so that she could rest her chin on her knuckles. She really had been hoping to settle in a bit before she had to confront the Mystic Falls crew, but that plan was clearly shot to hell. She leaned closer to him and shifted her gaze to the side, as though deep in thought.

"Somebody you need to worry about. Hm," she breathed out. "I don't know, Stefan. What do you think? What're your tingly vampire senses telling you? You getting any kinda vibe off me?" She snorted again when Stefan straightened in surprise. His confusion amused her and she could see the cogs in his brain turning. Who was she? Had he met her before?

"How-How do you know me?" he asked after several seconds of silence. She'd made him stutter; how cute. His body was taut and she could tell he was preparing himself to attack based on her answer. She actually did roll her eyes at this point and lifted her chin to free her hand for more bottle pouring.

"Oh, that's such a long story and I think you can tell that I'm not up for it right now." Shot number five went down quickly. "But I know that you're Stefan Salvatore; your brother is Damon Salvatore. You were born in the 1840s and were turned in 1864. I know that a witch named Emily made you that daylight ring you're wearing." She took shot number six and directed her attention back on him. "And I also know that about a year ago, you guys managed to kill Katherine Pierce. Your hair looks way better now, by the way." She was finally starting to feel that elusive buzz, so she merely giggled at the absolute shock on his face. Stefan's hand reached out to grip her arm, but she caught it easily and held firm, silently willing him not to cause a scene around the humans. Eyes flaring with annoyance, he gained his bearings and backed away slightly, pulling himself out of her hold.

"Who the hell are you?"

She poured another round and slid one of the glasses over to him, raising her own to indicate that she wanted him to join her. He picked it up warily, but didn't put it to his lips. He chose instead, to continue to stare in anticipation. Shrugging her shoulders, she knocked back her own and slammed it down with a satisfied thump. Now that she was in a much happier state, a part of her wanted to stretch this out, wanted to make him nervous. But he was wound so tight, she was afraid his head might pop off. She swiveled completely so that her entire body was now facing him. Her hand reached out for a shake, a lopsided grin plastered to her face.

"I'm Bonnie Bennett."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, friends! Just wanted to post another chapter quickly so that we can start getting to the good stuff (like the introduction of Mr. Parker :D). We should be seeing him in Chapter 3 and things will pick up quite a bit after that. In terms of length, I'm still writing the story, but if I had to estimate, I'd say this little piece will probably top out at around 15-16 chapters. Happy reading!

"It's like I'm scrolling through the emojis on my phone," Bonnie commented, her head resting lazily on the hand of her bent arm. Stefan had only been silent for about ten seconds, but watching the number of emotions flitting across his face was incredibly comical. He took a deep breath and turned his gaze towards there. Ah, so he'd settled on a mix of uneasiness and curiosity. She puckered her lip in wait and plucked the jigger from his hand. No use having it go to waste. "This is a great conversation we're having here, I must say. Aren't you supposed to be the smarter, more well-read Salvatore?"

"Bennett as in the Bennett witches?" he finally managed to get out, choosing to ignore the slight. "But I would know you. I've been working with Bennett witches for almost two centuries." Bonnie knew he was trying to figure out if he could trust her. He hadn't tried to vamp speed her out of the grill yet, or made any attempt to attack her, so she supposed that was pretty telling.

"Yep." She put emphasis on the "p" with a pronounced pop. "I doubt there are any Bennetts around here anymore. Sheila died and Abby, from what I heard, is a vampire now." She sighed at the look of perpetual confusion on his face. "Look, if you want story time, Stefan, why don't we head back to your place? That way, I can talk to you and your brother, so I don't have to repeat." She pulled up the duffel on the ground and tossed it over her shoulder. "Plus, I really need a shower."

"And what makes you think I'm just going to let you into my home?" He was scowling, his tone incredulous. "I don't even know you."

"Stefan, obviously, I'm not out to harm you or your Scooby Gang because if I was, A) I wouldn't have put myself so out in the open and B) I would have tried already. Can we just go? You have a million questions, I can tell. I will answer them if we get the fuck out of here." She turned and walked towards the exit, waiting to hear his steps behind her. She smirked when she heard his feet shuffle. She pushed her way through the door and stepped out into the unbearably hot summer sun.

Vampires always had this habit of wearing leather and she was no exception. It was cliché, yes, but she loved the perks that came with the mysterious and sultry allure the fabric provided. While she had the advantage of being weather-tolerant, she was having serious doubts about her current attire. The dark jacket felt heavy on her skin and the matching boots made her calves and thighs feel uncomfortably warm. She turned to Stefan, waiting for his move. He raised an eyebrow before heading to a parked red car.

"Ooh, fancy." She jogged forward to the classic Porsche and hopped into the passenger seat, tossing the bag at her feet. "Please tell me you have other toys like this to play with."

"We're not that flashy," Stefan replied shortly, revving the engine before quickly backing out of the spot. Bonnie pouted before shrugging her shoulders.

"Blending in with the normals," she stated. "I get that." She leaned back in the seat and let her gaze wander as she watched the scenery change. They rode in silence for a moment and she let herself feel the pleasure that came from the effects of alcohol. It was blurring the memories of uncomfortable travel and she definitely appreciated it. She felt more relaxed, less edgy. Facing her companion, she decided to throw the poor, tense vampire a bone.

"I'm a Bennett, yes," she started and he didn't react with the exception of a slight perk in his posture. "I was born in 1846 and turned in 1865."

"So you knew Emily?" he questioned, sparing her a side glance before focusing back on the road.

"Yeah, was my sister." There was that disbelief again. She held up a hand to stop him before he could speak. "We'll save the rest for when we see your brother, okay? I have to talk to you both anyway."

The rest of the ride was silent.

* * *

Bonnie stepped out of the shower and moved to dry herself off with the towel Stefan had provided her when she'd asked for the bathroom. Damon had been leery of letting her in and she could hear the two brothers arguing as she walked up the stairs to the bathroom and all throughout her time underneath the spray of the warm water. She had brushed off their questions and demands, insisting that she needed to clean up before having any kind of conversation.

She put on her undergarments and then shimmied into her dark jeans. Finishing the look with a blood red halter, she took a quick glance in the mirror before making her way down. The perks of being eternally nineteen meant that she didn't have to worry much about how she looked.

Plus, she didn't think the two men downstairs would be appreciative if she took up any more time.

They stopped speaking when her foot hit the bottom step. They eyed her intensely, and while she knew she was good-looking, she doubted her cuteness was the reason. She padded over to the bar and poured herself some bourbon before turning back to the brothers.

"I swear I'm not an alcoholic. But being back in Mystic Falls is giving me some PTSD." Damon stepped forward, his eyes dark with suspicion. He squinted at her before taking a deep breath and straightening to look over at Stefan.

"Besides the fact that my baby bro is entirely too trusting to bring you here, he's also delusional because he's insisting you're Emily's sister." Bonnie could feel the distrust coming off of Damon in waves. "Which is impossible because we knew Emily very well and she never once mentioned a sister." He took a menacing step towards her, but she made no move to retreat. "Why don't you tell me who the hell you are, so we can quench my brother's curiosity. Then, I can kill you and move on with my day." Bonnie snorted before taking a sip from her glass and glanced past the looming figure over to Stefan.

"Does he always go straight to the threats or is this because I'm special?" she asked, but only received a shrug in return.

"It's just how Damon works when he feels threatened."

" _Stefan_ ," Damon bit out, shifting his gaze to his brother. "You should be pissed, too. This random woman shows up in Mystic Falls with her vampy ways, knowing all about our past, and you just invite her over for dinner." He narrowed his eyes at his brother in annoyance. "Not to mention, she knew Katherine. She's probably a long-lost friend come to kill us for finally getting rid of her. As far as we know, there's never been talk about a Bennett vampire. How do we know she's who she _says_ she is?"

"HA, no," Bonnie interrupts loudly. "Definitely not friends with Katherine. Honestly, I came to visit to make sure it was true." She smiled languidly before stretching out on their sofa. "And to hear every detail about how that bitch died." She cackled a bit as she said this. "As for the vampire thing, the Bennetts had chosen to keep me out of the folklore." This caught Damon's attention and he now wore the same mask of wonder that Stefan had. He seemed to relent, his shoulders relaxing just a tick.

"If that's the case, we'll share if you share." His tone was daring, pushing her to finally explain what the hell she was doing here. Bonnie gave a slight shrug and looked down at her chest, pulling a talisman that had been hidden underneath her top. She laid it flat against her bosom and looked up at the two men who were now standing mere feet from her.

"Look familiar?" She asked, fingering the chain. "I'm sure you saw that my sister had one very similar. They were given to us as gifts when we were children." The two talismans were identical, with the exception that her stone was a dark garnet while Emily's had been a brighter citrine. The brothers remained silent, willing her to continue. A look of fondness flitted across her face as she thought back to her childhood. "Emily was my older sister. She was eight by the time I was born and she was always very protective of me." Her heart ached for her sister, even though she'd lost her so long ago. "Mother and father doted on me, but they noticed early on that I was born different. Where witches are born with innate powers, I had none of my own. They didn't realize this until I accidentally pulled power from Emily one day when she was carrying me outside to play in the grass."

Her hand reached out as though to touch something, but she let it hang in the air for a moment before dropping it back down. "It was just a little bit, but it was enough that Mother and Father realized that I could no longer be out in the open. I was a siphon, a witch that had to—"

"Pull power from another source in order to do magic, yeah," Damon threw out. Spurred by Bonnie's look of incredulity, he continued. "We've been dealing with our own lunatic siphon, Kai Parker. Just went crazy a few weeks ago and killed a huge chunk of his coven at a wedding. Great party." His lips quirked upward, but there was little humor on his face. It had been a tough day for all of them.

Bonnie leaned forward with interest. "Malachai Parker from the Gemini coven? Last I heard, he'd been thrown into some prison world. Sheila had told me she had a hand in that."

Damon shifted uncomfortably and shared a look with this brother. For a moment, she saw a flicker of something in his eyes, a haunted look. But it was gone before she could confirm it. There was definitely a story there. "Yeah, he got out. But that's a story for another day. Right now, we're talking about you, Bon-Bon." He poured himself a tumbler of bourbon and topped hers off before setting himself down on an armchair next to the couch she'd taken up residence in. Stephen mirrored his brother and sat down in the opposite lounger. The older brother tipped his head as inclination for her to continue. She really wanted to hear more about _that_ story, but she had promised them her own.

"Okay, then, since you know what a siphon is, I can skip all that. Needless to say, my parents had to hide me away from the public because they just couldn't risk other covens finding out." She chuckled to herself humorlessly. "The Gemini, especially, would have seen me as an abomination and if they hadn't wanted to kill me, they definitely would have wanted to have me locked away. Which, I guess they kinda got what they wanted." The last part was said softly and with a touch of sadness, but she shook her head to clear away those thoughts. "Not that my parents didn't love me, they just feared for me. However, they, as well as Emily, continued to teach me magic and each gave a little bit of their power daily so that I could practice. Things were quiet, we were happy. Then, one day a warlock happened upon me."

She shifted so that her feet were now flat on the ground and she sat upright. She took a big gulp and turned the glass absently in her hands. "Emily and I were in the field behind our home practicing late one evening when he passed through. I can only assume he was there to see my parents, but we never found out. I was only nine at the time, I barely had control of myself. The warlock started giving my sister attention and I could tell she feared him. So, I grabbed at him and I could feel my hand burn against his arm. I was angry; I siphoned him without realizing. When he recognized what I was, he started screaming about how the covens needed to know about me and that they would band together to get rid of me."

She rubbed hard at the glass, anger curling up in her abdomen. "Emily was pissed. She started casting spells at him, but he was so strong and so much more experienced; we were no match for him. He was furious we were attacking him, so he tried to kill us. He aimed for me first. And he was almost successful until Katherine stepped in."

The mention of her name caused both brothers to jerk in recognition. This must have been what Emily had alluded to all those years ago when she'd stated that Katherine had saved her.

"She came out of nowhere and just sank her fangs into his neck. His head was completely ripped from his body." After so many years of seeing violence and death, the thought barely resonated with her, but at the time she had been horrified. "She got rid of the remains and Emily swore allegiance to her that day for saving me. My parents never knew. They just assumed she wanted to find work and took a job as a handmaiden."

Stefan shifted forward, his interest piqued. This was the point where her story intersected their own.

"Emily travelled with Katherine for years, but she always made time to write me letters and cast them to me. Sometimes, we would commune and send each other psychic flashes." Damon spared a glance at his brother. Sending psychic visions long distances was not something they were aware witches could do. Sensing the question in the air, Bonnie hurried to explain. "Not full stories and visions. Just, kinda like pictures, maybe animated gifs if we're going to compare it to modern stuff. That's how I knew you, Stefan, when you came up to me earlier. I'd seen you before, back in the 1800s." The blonde vampire nodded in understanding. It was starting to make more sense. "That's how I also know about how my sister died. When she was killed, I felt it immediately. I visited with her spirit and she told me what that stupid, selfish bitch did, so I vowed revenge."

She stood and walked towards the fireplace, needing to move to keep herself as calm as possible. "She also told me that you took care of her children. I'm grateful for that." She offered her first real smile since they'd met, and while Damon merely scowled and took another swig, Stefan returned it in kind. "They made their way back to my parents. They lived good lives." A faraway stare marred her features and the brothers could see the sadness in her eyes. "At least that's what they told me when I was able to communicate with them. I snuck out several days after Emily's spirit visited me. I left my parents a letter, telling them I was going to avenge Emily's death and kill Katherine."

The incensed way she spat out the name was something familiar to the Salvatores. That women had the same effect on most people she had met.

Bonnie cleared her throat. "The years of practice had given me the experience, so all I needed was power. I siphoned everything I could from my family's relics and then from the field where the warlock died."

Damon hummed knowingly. There was always power stored where witches and warlocks met violent ends.

"I went searching for her," Bonnie continued, her finger running along the ash and soot on the fireplace. In 1865, I found her." She was silent for a moment, memories of that day flooding back into her mind. "She was so much stronger than I thought she would be. I was clearly unprepared. She killed me in minutes. There wasn't even any hesitation." She let out a shuddering sigh, but inhaled deeply before speaking again. "But right before she ended me, she gave me her blood." Bonnie could clearly remember how'd she gagged on the warm, viscous fluid. How she had tried to turn away.

"She snapped my neck after. I suppose she gave me her blood because she felt remorse for Emily and wanted to spare me. But she also assumed I wouldn't have my powers anymore and that I'd be easier to elude because of that." She let out a hollow chuckle. If Katherine had only known. "I woke up alone and I had every intention of letting myself die, to go back into the earth, but I just couldn't do it. The thirst was crippling. I killed a man who happened to pass through. I became a real monster after that." Another shaking breath escaped her lips. "I was so shocked when the numbness I expected never came. I could still feel the earth. I still had my magic."

"Because as a siphoner, you were able to keep your magic," Stefan concluded, much to Bonnie's surprise. "Like Damon mentioned. Kai Parker."

"He's like me?" Bonnie gasped, feeling a mix of dread that the known sociopath had such power, but also excitement at the thought of somebody else being just like her. Knowing that there was somebody else out there made her feel like less of a freak. "But, yes, siphoners were not considered a normal part of the order of nature, so we had a magical loophole." To prove her point, she curled her fingers into her upturned palm over the fireplace until an intense flame shot up, only to extinguish it seconds later when she waved her hand at it. "Becoming a vampire gave me unlimited power because I was always able to siphon it from myself. I figured this would make me unstoppable in defeating Katherine." She glanced up at the two men. "But as you two know, that woman was notorious for her evasion tactics." They both chuckled in full awareness. Katherine was the queen of self-preservation. "I chased her for decades. My mother and father passed away and I wasn't even there to see them." Regret laced through her words. "I was so hell-bent on killing her. Becoming a vampire had only heightened my need to avenge Emily."

She reached down to grab at the glass she'd set on the end table. Taking a drink, she cleared her throat and began to pace again. "I obviously wasn't the only one chasing her. I assume you know that the Mikaelsons were looking for her, too."

"Yep," Damon piped up. "We were already told _that_ tale. From Klaus and Elijah themselves."

Bonnie scoffed and looked up at the ceiling before meeting the elder brother's gaze. "Man, you Salvatores get sucked into a lot of stuff, don't you? Do you go looking for trouble or does it just find you?"

"Trust me, it's a question we ask ourselves a lot," Stefan responded, sighing as he plucked Damon's glass out of his hand and downed the contents.

Irritated, Damon stood to replenish himself.

"You should work on not getting involved so much," she advised good-humoredly. "Maybe Katherine stole all of your preservation instincts."

Stefan merely shrugged. It was a definite possibility.

"Anyway, I think the fact that they were chasing her made it harder for me. I was competing with the two oldest and most powerful vampires in the world with dozens of witches at their disposal. If they couldn't find her, there's no way I could have."

"You obviously stopped if you're coming to us for answers." Damon spoke up. "And since she never bothered to mention you, I assume she had no idea what she'd turned you into."

"No," Bonnie answered angrily. "She had no clue. I wasted almost fifty years chasing her and I was always a step behind. Either that, or I would show up right on time to see the Mikaelson aftermath. I was never able to confront her again." Clutching her talisman for comfort, she sat down again on the sofa. "Emily was the one who convinced me to give it up. I communed with her spirit often and I think she was starting to pity me." She laughed without any mirth. "Trapped in our family home with no other friends but her and then travelling alone looking for Katherine…I never took the time to make friends, to live. She didn't want that life for me."

She remembered the conversation fondly. "She told me that I needed to live for myself. That she didn't need me to fight her fight. The best revenge was for me to be happy and to practice my magic freely. Because I could now; there was nothing stopping me. At first, I took offense. Bennetts, you know? Annoyingly loyal."

The brothers nodded in complete agreement. That was absolutely true.

"But she was right. So, eventually, I did. I spent the last several decades travelling, learning about the history of witches, collecting knowledge, making friends, having sex." She giggled and took another sip from her glass. "Drinking, obviously. Emily seemed happy for me and I think me moving on helped her find peace. I haven't really communed with her since. I wanted her to be able to rest."

Glancing up at the men, she smiled wickedly. "Which leads to the big reason why I came home. I've heard a lot of talk that Katherine is finally gone. Please tell me it's true."

For the first time since she'd arrived, she saw Damon crack a smile. "Definitely true. Shoved a human cure down her throat." Damon ticked off the incident on his finger. " _Then_ , she had the cure drained from her. Almost died, but unfortunately didn't." Tick on the second finger. "Then, she had a rapid aging moment before Stefan here finally daggered her. It was this whole thing. Very dramatic, _very_ Katherine." Bonnie giggled in what could only be described as unbridled glee.

"Oh no, no, please. Don't leave out any details. Start from the beginning." She sat herself down again and rested her chin in her hands, as though waiting for a bedtime story. She could sense the shift in the air as it became clear that the two brothers were now beginning to trust her. They both refilled their drinks and joined her to provide all the details.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter before we finally meet Kai! After this, I'll probably be slowing down my posts substantially to one chapter per week(ish). As I mentioned, I'm still writing :) Here, we meet get to meet Caroline and Elena. And as an FYI, there will be no girl-hate here. I'm not crazy about Elena's character in TVD, but I am always a big proponent of having a close-knit crew of girlfriends and I want to focus on that aspect of things for this story.

Bonnie burrowed deeper under her covers and let out a soft moan of contentment. Never let it be said that the Salvatores weren't hospitable when they wanted to be. After the long night of swapping tales and liquor, Stefan had pointed vaguely in the direction down the hall of his bedroom on the second floor. Even Damon could find no reason to object and showed her a closet filled with extra linens should she need them. She'd perused the rooms until she found the one she liked most: a corner one with more windows and a large bed with ample pillows and a silky blanket.

She turned until she was flat on her back and slowly blinked away the sleep, taking in a deep breath before turning her head to face the window. She hazarded a guess that it may have been late morning based on the angle of the light shining in through the curtains. Even as a vampire, she loved being woken up by the sun; it was something that had followed her from her days as a human. She fingered the daylight ring on her right hand, grateful that she'd found the spell in one of Emily's grimoires during the early days of her transformation.

Her green orbs adjusted quickly to the daylight and she looked around the room, taking in her surroundings. Begrudgingly, she shifted until her back was against the headboard and the covers fell to her waist. Well-rested and feeling more at peace, she now had the mental strength to consider what her next steps would be.

Truth be told, she'd had no real set plan when she'd originally decided to go back to Mystic Falls. She'd honestly never thought past getting the closure she needed regarding Katherine.

Before returning here, Bonnie had been living a nomadic lifestyle and hadn't considered setting down roots. She had a few houses in various parts of the world, but she used them more so as bases and as storage areas for things she'd picked up along her travels. Being back in Mystic Falls, though, now that things had finally settled and she was content, gave her a sense of home that she hadn't felt in quite some time. While she wasn't sure she wanted this to be her permanent residence, the concept of staying here for a while wasn't entirely farfetched.

Kicking the blankets off her body, she threw her feet over the side of the bed and stood with a languid stretch. She padded towards the door and threw it open, heading towards the adjacent bathroom. Making use of the toiletries she'd placed on the countertop the night before, she quickly made her way through her morning ritual. She finished with a quick brush through her short straight bob and headed downstairs towards the noises of those already awake. The smell of coffee permeated the air, making her immediately crave a cup of the aromatic brew. Pushing her way into the kitchen, the sight before her immediately put her on edge.

The woman standing by the pot with her back towards Bonnie had long familiar brown hair and a build that she could recognize from a mile away. The strands were straightened, but after chasing her for so long, the hybrid could identify the form without any hesitation. For a moment, she was transported back to decades of wasted time and unsuccessful chases.

An involuntary glance to a men's leather jacket dropped precariously on a kitchen counter brought her back to reality. She was in the Salvatores' home; Katherine was dead.

The other woman turned, froze in surprise, and let out a gasp. Realizing who she was looking at, the long-haired brunette's shoulders relaxed and she broke out into an easy smile.

"You're Bonnie."

Bonnie's eyes narrowed, holding the other girl's gaze with scrutiny. She knew what the term doppelganger meant, knew that the woman would be identical to her former enemy, but _fuck_ if this wasn't completely jarring.

The sparkle in Elena's eyes dimmed slightly at the close examination, but she picked up the two mugs she'd just poured coffee into and held up one to Bonnie as an offering. "I'm Elena," she said, introducing herself, visibly relieved when Bonnie took the cup and inhaled the aroma emanating from it. "I heard you in one of the guest bathrooms upstairs, so I thought I'd get one for you, too."

The darker-skinned woman took a tentative sip at the bitter liquid and sighed in contentment. Worrying her bottom lip for a moment, she sucked in a breath and met Elena's gaze once again, this time with a much softer expression. "Sorry, PTSD flashbacks," Bonnie explained. "I mean, I'm sure you hear this all the time, but—"

"Yeah, I look _just_ like her," Elena finished, taking a mouthful from her own mug. She padded over to the island of the kitchen and hopped up on one of the stools, resting her arms on the counter and fiddling with the cup's handle. Bonnie joined her and slid into the adjacent chair. "If it's any consolation, your reaction is probably one of the better ones." She made a motion of running her hand across her throat as though slicing with a knife. "At least you didn't try to kill me."

"Almost magicked you into a choke hold," Bonnie replied honestly, with a slight smile on her face to ease the harshness of the words. Elena let out a raspy chuckle and nodded, almost as though she understood.

"Already had that happen. Quite recently, I might add."

Bonnie nodded, her features conveying empathy. "Damon and Stefan told me. Vampire, then back to human, then shoved into a coffin to sleep for eternity only to be awoken when the dick that put you in there was killed by Damon," she listed, providing a summarization of what she'd been told. "Did I miss anything?"

Elena let out a giggle of incredulity. Hearing it out of somebody else's mouth made it sound even more ridiculous. "Nope, that pretty much sums it up. Except that Kai ended up coming back to life as a powerful vampire-witch hybrid, so now he's the new big-bad." Bonnie raised her eyebrow at the last comment and Elena waved her hands in front of her in denial and shook her head emphatically. "Not that vampire-witch hybrids are all bad. He's _literally_ evil."

Bonnie smirked sassily and shrugged. "I mean, we're all a _little_ bad," she commented. "But to your point, yes, I was told all about him. Killed himself to come back as a vampire hybrid, but managed a fail-safe from keeping his entire coven from dying out with him. Still a little foggy on _how_ he got out of his prison, though." Elena bit her lip and turned away for a moment, but the witch had caught the look of shame that flitted across her face. She hummed and her eyes squinted in suspicion. "Yep, that's the same look they had when I asked about it."

"It had to be done. We had to save my brother, Jeremy,", Elena said firmly, but there was a hint of regret in her voice. She gazed over at Bonnie and let out a long breath. "Mind if we leave that topic for another day? It's not like it made a difference anyway; Jeremy's still gone." Bonnie, in fact, did want to hear the story more than anything, but relented. Losing a sibling was devastating, so she wasn't going to push too much at the moment.

"Sure." She rested her hand on Elena's arm comfortingly. They sat in silence for a beat, drinking their respective cups. "Any idea where the boys are?"

Elena glanced upward as though she could see through the ceiling. "Damon is still passed out. I have no idea how much you guys drank, but he didn't even flinch when I practically dove on top of him this morning." Bonnie had to giggle at that; somewhere along the night, Damon and Bonnie had thought it a fantastic idea to have a drinking contest. Apparently, she'd won considering his current condition. "Stefan's hunting, I think. He said he'd be back soon."

As though hearing his name, Stefan appeared in the kitchen, rubbing at a small speck of blood that had gotten on his white tank. Seeing the two women, he offered a small smile.

Seeing the blotch of red made Bonnie realize just how hungry she was. It'd been almost two days since she'd last fed. "Any chance you guys have blood bags lying around? I'd go find some fresh food, but I have a feeling you guys frown upon that." Stefan merely pressed his lips together in affirmation and opened up the fridge to grab a bag and laid it in front of Bonnie.

"We try to keep that type of activity out of Mystic Falls," his tone light, but with a hint of a warning. "It's already a haven for the supernatural. We need human suspicion to be at a minimum."

Bonnie fought the urge to point out that he wasn't her keeper, since he wasn't necessarily wrong. She ripped off the top of the blood bag and took a big gulp, nodding at Stefan in thanks. She let the other two talk as she fed, listening to them banter about their daily plans. Her ears perked up when she heard the mention of shopping.

"You're going shopping?" she managed to get out once she'd swallowed the remnants of the blood.

"Yeah, would you like to come?" Elena asked excitedly. "I'm supposed to go after I have lunch with Damon, if he ever wakes up." The last two words were shouted in hopes of awakening the vampire. Moments later, they heard loud thumps of movement above their heads.

"I would, actually," Bonnie replied, thinking back to the meager possessions sitting in her duffel. She hadn't packed for more than a few days away, but staying a bit longer didn't seem like a bad idea and she didn't have any set plans back in Spain anyway. She definitely needed more clothing and essentials if she was going to hang around. "Thanks."

Glancing over at Stefan, she grinned cheekily and judging from the look on his face, he knew what she wanted to ask. "Stefan—"

"As long as you follow the 'no vein tapping' rule, sure. I doubt Damon will care."

"I usually don't," Damon said, sauntering into the kitchen, surprisingly dressed if not a bit rumpled. He made his way to Elena and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. "But just so I'm on the same page, what don't I care about?"

"Letting Bonnie stay for a while," Elena responded before Stefan could open his mouth. "We're going shopping today so she can get the stuff she needs." She said it with an air of finality, ensuring that Damon couldn't refuse even if he wanted to.

He rolled his eyes and tugged at Elena's hand to get her to stand. "Seems my mind has been made up for me, Witchy." Damon turned his attention back to his girlfriend and pulled at her until she fell against his chest. He refused to let go until she gave him a quick peck on the lips. Laughing at his antics, she circled him until she faced his back and hopped onto him with her arms wrapped around his neck. Smirking, he grabbed at her legs to hold her in place and made his way out of the kitchen.

Elena turned quickly to face Bonnie before she was out of sight and grinned. "I'll be back to pick you up in two hours. Be ready."

Bonnie shook her head, amused by their conduct. She and Stefan were now left alone. The two of them could hear bits of the couple's conversation as they made their way to the door.

"You didn't tell me she was pretty, Damon. Is she always going to be walking around like that?"

Stefan snorted into his coffee mug and Bonnie scoffed, offended. "What does she mean, 'walking around like that'?" The man didn't respond, but instead let his eyes travel towards her bare legs, unencumbered with the exception of her lacy underwear. She could tell he wasn't leering at her, merely making a point. She sniffed demurely and shrugged her shoulders. "I hate wearing pants when I sleep."

"I'm not complaining," Stefan stated factually. "But you see her side of it."

"Yeah, yeah, fine. I'll buy some shorts or something," Bonnie said contritely. "You know, Elena's nothing like Katherine. She's really…cheerful." Not that she had a problem with that, but Bonnie definitely did not have a perky bone in her body.

Stefan nodded knowingly, but smirked a bit when he remembered who would be joining them when they went shopping. "Just wait until you meet Caroline."

* * *

Caroline Forbes embodied jubilance and sweetness with a dose of attitude. Bonnie learned that within ten minutes of meeting her. True to her word, Elena had swung back to the boarding house two hours later and picked Bonnie up. Damon hadn't been particularly thrilled with the thought of the two women bonding, making it a point to put threats on Bonnie's life should she cause any harm to Elena. A quick _yes, dad,_ shut him up as she followed the other woman to her car.

On the way to the downtown shopping area, Elena had given the hybrid a bit of background on Caroline so she'd know what to expect. But no amount of words could have prepared her for the major force packed into a slim, blonde package. The second she opened the passenger door, the younger vampire appeared seemingly out of nowhere, a dazzling smile on her face and a plastic shopping bag held out as an offering. Bonnie took a moment to take in Caroline's form. She almost had a shiny quality to her, her frame draped in a pale-yellow sundress with a complementary cardigan.

"You're Bonnie, I'm Caroline, we're officially introduced," she started as Bonnie hesitantly took the bag from her hand. "Elena told me you needed essentials and clothing and since drugstore shopping is _boring_ , I took care of it while I waited for you guys." Bonnie's eyebrow quirked in confusion as she took a quick glance in the bag. There was an assortment of travel size shampoos and body washes along with all of the other toiletries she had planned on picking up.

"Thanks," she said, drawing out the word. "This is…unexpected." Caroline frowned at Bonnie's reaction, but the darker-skinned woman spoke again before she could reply. "But nice. Seriously, thanks."

The corners of the younger woman's eyes crinkled in relief. "Well, I didn't want to waste time. I have a plan of attack for today's trip. We have a lot of stores to hit and I fully intend on picking up something at every single one of them."

Bonnie nodded dumbly before turning to Elena, who'd been watching this exchange with amusement, to try to make some sense of this woman. The brunette chuckled and offered a shrug as if to say _this is just Caroline being Caroline_.

"Caroline's buying her feelings," she said and the blonde gave a firm nod in affirmation.

"After everything that's happened the last few weeks, we need to de-stress and what better way than to buy things that make us feel pretty?" Bonnie had to smile at that. Well, she wasn't wrong. Caroline started to pace quickly down the sidewalk, forcing the other two women to follow. "I mean, seriously, a wedding where the bride gets turned in a vampire, loses her unborn children, and pretty much her entire family. You'd think that'd be the worst part of it. But now, we have a lunatic witchpire lurking around being all Gemini-powered and probably planning our demise."

Bonnie chuckled at the moniker. "Have any of you seen him since the wedding?" She shouldn't have asked, considering it was clear he'd caused them nothing but trouble, but a small part of her was intrigued by this man. Did he sense the earth the way she did? Did the magic feel the same to him as it did to her? She'd never had anybody to talk to regarding her powers because nobody understood. She couldn't help that she longed to have somebody to share her experiences with.

"Not really, thank God," Caroline spat out. "He mostly went into hiding after he came back to life." The blonde let out a small sigh. "At least one good thing came out of all that. I got my best friend back." Her face broke out into a wide smile, and she reached out to grab Elena's hand, squeezing it affectionately. The brunette's cheeks dimpled in return as she leaned in to briefly rest her head on the young vampire's shoulder.

Watching the two gave Bonnie a slight twist of envy in her stomach. She hadn't had that type of relationship with anybody since Emily. The lifestyle she led was definitely fun, but it didn't leave much time for anything tangible. Sure, she had some friendly acquaintances and supernatural connections, but most of her relationships were fleeting. Maybe that's why she'd decided to hang around Mystic Falls. While she knew little about the group, she could see the intense loyalty they had for one another. It was something she appreciated; something she respected.

Caroline's squeal of delight shocked her out of her thoughts. "60% off sale? Now I can buy two pairs." The duo had stopped at what Bonnie assumed was the first place on the itinerary. The blonde released Elena's hand and shoved the door open with excitement, barging in. The brunette hung back and turned towards Bonnie.

"Caroline's is a _very_ bubbly person," Bonnie stated, staring through the glass storefront at the woman who had now commandeered all the sales women to help her find the proper footwear.

Elena's laugh came out light and melodious. "Understatement, but she's also fierce, loyal, and crazy smart." She gazed at her hurricane of a friend with a deep fondness. "Shall we join her so she doesn't wear out those poor sales women?"

The two took deep breaths in preparation and moved to join Caroline inside.

* * *

Bonnie liked shopping as much as the next woman. She even went to Milan's Fashion Week every year to add the latest trends to her wardrobe. But she had to grudgingly admit that she had absolutely nothing on Caroline Forbes. The woman could bargain shop better than anybody she'd ever met. Three hours later and the trio were laden with an unconscionable number of bags. Elena, being the only human-and, therefore, had the lower energy levels of a human-had begged for a rest stop.

Which is why they were now sitting at a table in an outdoor patio of a café. Caroline had discreetly pulled steel water bottles out of her large purse and handed one to Bonnie. She was pleasantly surprised to find blood in the container. And impressed. The girl thought of everything.

Bonnie scrutinized the pile of bags that occupied the chair to her right. She'd ended up buying far more than she'd originally planned. Her tastes usually leaned towards red and black, but Caroline had convinced her ( _More leather, Bonnie? Ugh, okay, Damonette_ ) to pick up some items that were outside of her usual choices.

Elena sipped contentedly on an iced coffee and broke off a piece of the cinnamon bun that the three were sharing. "One of the negative things about being human again," she said around the warm pastry in her mouth, "is that I have to worry about calories." She unabashedly bit into another piece. "Worth it, though."

Caroline rolled her eyes and cut away a piece with a plastic knife. "Elena, you've literally _never_ had to worry about calories."

"Yes, but as a future doctor, I need to practice what I preach." She flashed her teeth and pushed the plate to the right towards Bonnie and Caroline.

"And staying alive and healthy for as long as possible for your sexy boyfriend with piercing, fuck-me baby blues is an added bonus, yes?" There was a lighthearted lilt in Bonnie's voice as she waggled her eyebrows suggestively. Elena choked slightly on her coffee and let out a wheezy chortle and Caroline's features contorted into an expression of disgust. "What? I have eyes." She raised her eyebrow at the blonde. "I'm surprised at your reaction, though. Damon is universally sexy. You can't honestly tell me he's unattractive."

"Caroline only has eyes for one Salvatore," Elena smirked, speaking up before the other woman could start a tirade on all the reasons why Damon Salvatore was a gross excuse of a man. "And she's going to keep her words about Damon civil because even though she hates him, she also knows that he's changed." Caroline merely scoffed and shoved a piece of the bun into her mouth to keep herself from talking.

"Wait, wait." Bonnie had to rewind back to the first comment. "Eyes for one Salvatore? Caroline, you and Stefan?" The younger brother had made no mention of this the night before. "You're a thing?"

Her companion sniffed and glared at Elena, who simply shrugged and sipped daintily from her straw. Turning back to Bonnie, she cut another piece and put it onto her napkin. "There is no thing. Stefan and I are just friends."

"Friends who kiss and who've had sex," Elena mumbled, earning her a slap in the shoulder.

"I had my switch off," she hissed. "Stefan and I are close friends. That's all."

"Humanity-less sex is still sex," the brunette retorted with a sing-song modulation. "Stefan professed his love to Caroline and now he's waiting for her to realize they're perfect together." The second part was said for Bonnie's benefit to mitigate the bewildered look on her face. The mocha-skinned woman took a beat to absorb everything she'd just learned.

"You know," she started, her tone light, "I like you guys a lot, but you _do_ realize you live in a teen soap opera, right? I mean, holy crap, you've barely been on this planet for twenty years and you've lived more boy drama than I have in my entire lifetime."

Elena's grin was sheepish as she mouthed an _I know._

"We've barely scratched the surface of boy drama," Caroline said with a snort. "But you're way cool and I'm sure you've had your share of guys. You can't tell us you've never had issues involving men."

Bonnie waved her hand dismissively. "I never did the whole relationship thing. Just some quick affairs and quasi-situationships. I never really stuck around long enough to deal with any fallout."

Caroline gave her a look of seeming admiration. "I can definitely appreciate that. It must be fun: travelling the world and just doing anything you want." She seemed almost envious.

"Yeah, it's fun, but that doesn't mean that having roots and a tight-knit group of friends isn't equally amazing." Bonnie's tone was sincere and placating and her comment spurred pleasured smiles from her companions. She was definitely warming to these women. It was nice to be able to have this kind of casual girl-talk.

A sudden jolt jarred her from the moment she was sharing with the girls. She felt a heat sizzle against her skin, almost as though something was on fire nearby. Bonnie looked around, alert and trying to pinpoint what was causing the electricity she could feel crackling in the air.

"Bonnie, you okay?" Elena's hand rested on top of hers in a soothing touch.

Unsure of how to explain what she was feeling, she simpered and stood, excusing herself to go to the bathroom. Even as she walked, she felt like she was moving through a field of static electricity. It pricked at her skin unpleasantly. It felt like it was somehow charging her. She rushed to the bathroom and shut the door quickly, locking it behind her.

The second she was on the other side, the tingles immediately started to ebb. She walked gingerly towards the sink and rested her hands on the surface to calm her breath.

_What the hell was that?_


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're FINALLY here. The chapter where we get to meet Kai. Super fun to write and I so love introducing you to my vision of BonKai. Enjoy :)

She could feel his presence before she saw him.

Bonnie had finished washing her hands and was just stepping out of the door into the hallway. Immediately, the crackle was back in the air, but this time it felt suffocating, as though the source was too close. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, telling her to be aware of danger. She turned quickly and raised her hand, magic flowing through her fingers to clutch at the stranger's throat. He was significantly taller than her, but she held him at eye level causing his legs to bend and drag at an awkward angle.

Getting over the initial shock of being caught in her grip, Kai Parker's lips warped into a mischievous smile. He threw up his arms in mock surrender and tried to straighten, but her hand simply followed him upward. "So, you're new," he rasped, attempting to throw her off, but Bonnie was older, and therefore, stronger. "Thought...I should introduce myself." He let out a strangled cough. "I'm Kai Parker."

The dark-haired woman flexed her fingers to lessen the pressure, but didn't let go. Ah, the ever-popular Kai Parker. She roamed his form from the ground up, settling on meeting his gaze. "Interesting choice to try to say hello when I can snap your neck with a flick of my wrist," she ground out, narrowing her eyes at her would-be attacker. "What's with the creepy shadow-lurking vibe?"

Now that he could properly move his vocal chords, Kai managed a chuckle between his coughs. "Kinda my thing. Evil, lurky, sociopathic. Does it tick any of your boxes?" His tone was suggestive, a shit-eating smirk plastered on his face.

Bonnie let out a faint noise of disgust at this guy's attempt to flirt with her when she could so easily decapitate him. "Seriously?"

He flinched when the magic pulsed at his throat. "If you let me go, we can have a friendlier chat. Had to be careful, you know? You're palling around with Betty and Veronica. They want me dead for reasons I'm sure they already shared with you."

"They may have filled me in," she said, but she relented slightly and let go of his throat, though her stance remained stiff, ready to attack if need be. "What do you want?"

Kai straightened himself with a breath and brushed at his clothing dramatically, pulling at an imaginary wrinkle in his shirt. Lifting his head and running a hand over his brow, he met her eyes. Bonnie could sense the danger there: the underlying turbulence of somebody who relished in violence and pain. The way he seemed to assess her and drink her in...it was intrusive.

"To meet the new witch in town, of course," he exclaimed, as though the way they just met was the most normal thing in the world. "Man, you've got no idea how boring it is being all-powerful around these idiotic little bats." He moved a little closer, invading her personal space. "It's nice to finally meet somebody on my level. Do you know how powerful your essence is? I felt it the second you set foot in the downtown square."

His hand raised up to cup the air and she felt invisible tendrils slink their way across her body in a slow and caressing touch. Frowning at the invasion, Bonnie silently cast a quick blow, causing Kai's hold to break as he staggered back a bit.

"Getting a little too comfortable there, Malachai."

Kai's face broke out into childish glee. "So you know me, then? All about my history if you're calling me Malachai. So you must know that I'm the new Gemini leader." He was bragging, trying to impress her, perhaps. "Which means my power is practically unlimited. I could help you reach your potential. What coven are you with? One of the biggies?"

She fought the urge to laugh; the thought of this man-child teaching her anything was hilarious; she had decades of practice and knowledge over him. "So what you're doing right now...you do this for all witches you come across?" She countered his question with one of her own. "Throw your magical weight around?"

"Only to the ones I find interesting." He slid forward again until he was only a foot away from her and leaned in almost as though to smell her. "Your magic hums, did you know that? It's like this amazing constant vibration." He took a deep breath and his face flushed with pleasure. "Discovered it while I was watching you. And then I thought, 'I wonder what would happen if I tried to touch it?'"

His words felt lewd and hot against her skin. As if reading her thoughts, he let out a small rumble and ran his hand along her shoulder without actually touching it. She felt a jolt of shock deep within her and let out a gasp. Whereas she'd felt discomfort before, this feeling was more like an energetic buzz: something vibrant that thrummed inside of her. Kai released a shuddering sigh and closed his eyes to let the feeling pulse throughout his body. When his lids lifted again, his blue-gray orbs were practically black, the pupils completely blown. "The way it wraps around my own? Fucking fantastic."

Shaking herself out of her stupor, she flicked her wrist to send him back again. "You tried to accost me because I give you a magical hard-on?" Bonnie asked, exasperated and trying to ignore the heat that coiled inside her. Clearly, any prospects of having meaningful conversations and trading stories about being alienated siphoners were plans now shot to hell. "Is that what this feeling is? You're trying to weave your magic through mine? Take it down a notch. Anybody ever tell you you're incredibly awkward?"

Kai grinned cheekily and shrugged. "Some people find it charming. I want to get to know you, is that so bad? I can sense your magic and it rivals Gemini power, Bonster. Maybe I just want a partner in coven-crime." The electricity pricked her again, this time quite unpleasantly. She couldn't tell if it was because of something within her or if he was the one who could control it. "Plus, the closer I am to you, the better it is. How does it feel for you?"

"Like I'm wearing fleece and I've been shuffling my feet on carpet. Stop it." The buzz subsided. Bonnie frowned and started to back away to give herself more personal space. "And it's Bonnie. How do you know my name?"

His face contorted like that of a child who'd done something naughty. "I may have compelled one of the store clerks to give me your name." He leaned in conspiratorially. "And then I might have eaten her. I'm a vampire, too, you know. It's awesome. Did Wilma and Betty tell you that? I'm so powerful now, it's just ridiculous."

Bonnie's inner dialogue kept zeroing in on how peculiar this guy was. He was overly-pompous and arrogant, a surefire sign of the insecurity that lurked beneath.

"I'm thrilled for you," she deadpanned. "Look, I'm not staying around here for that long and I'm not into whatever this is." She indicated the space between the two. "I have zero interest in joining up on any of the Mystic Falls dramatics, so I'd love it if you'd just bury yourself away somewhere until I'm gone." She dismissed him and turned to walk away, but was stopped with an invisible force around her waist. She was spun until she faced him, his eyes hard and jaw ticking as he clenched his teeth.

"You know, you are so lucky I'm a lot nicer these days," he whispered slowly, angling himself until his face was mere inches from hers. "I've ripped spines out of people for less than the way you just manhandled me." He let out a puff of breath and took another step, forcing her to look up to his towering form. "No reason to be so mean, Bonster. But since you're not willing to share your power, maybe I'll just take it."

The magical hold lifted and was replaced by his cold hands on her biceps. She felt the telltale heat as he tried to siphon from her. Moving her arms upward, she brought down her elbows onto his wrists roughly, prompting him to release her. Her hand shot out to backhand him across the face. He sucked in a breath and fell backwards, managing to catch himself before hitting the floor.

" _Invisibilis_ ," Bonnie said softly, shielding them from any potential humans that might have been heading to the bathroom. She reached up to grip his hair and slammed his head against the wall with a sickening crack. Kai collapsed to the ground, surprised at the woman's strength. Using his shock to her advantage, she moved to straddle his waist and without hesitation, dug into his chest until she was gripping his heart in her fingers. He groaned in pain and tried to push her away, but she stayed firm. Leaning down until her lips were next to his ear, she let out a humorless chuckle.

"Would you like to know why I'm not impressed by your all-powerful self, little baby hybrid?" She pulled back until her eyes were level with his. "Because I'm just like you." His form tightened underneath her as she absorbed some of his power through the organ she held in her hand. Bonnie's smirk was arrogant and had a poisonous edge. "But I'm so, so much better, Kai." She heard a gurgle ripple from his chest and blood began to drip from the right side of his lip. "Consider yourself lucky _I'm_ nice. I don't like killing people unless I have to, so please don't force my hand." She pointedly squeezed him again for good measure, relishing the pained whoosh of breath that left him. Releasing his heart, she removed herself from his chest and swiftly got to her feet. Kai's hands went to the gaping wound, which was already starting to heal.

"You're a hybrid and a siphon like me?" Beneath the fury and amidst his pained grunts, she saw a hint of awe and curiosity.

Bonnie kicked open the bathroom door and half-leaned in to grab a handful of paper towels to clean herself up. "Clearly." She tossed everything into the trash bin and let the door close behind her. Looking down at him with a smirk, she double-checked her clothing to prepare to rejoin her companions. "Stay out of my way, Kai. You try to siphon me again and I'll take a page out of your book and rip your spine from your body." She smiled again, baring her teeth. "You have no idea who you're messing with."

To drive the point home, she cast a spell in his direction. " _Phasmatos Incendia_." Kai's clothes immediately lit up in flames and he screamed, rolling erratically to put them out. Leaving him cloaked, she made herself visible again and ignored the yelps of pain as she headed back to Caroline and Elena.

* * *

The next morning had Bonnie jolting from a deep slumber as Damon screamed her name from the first floor. She gazed around the room blearily, at first slightly confused as to what had awoken her. When she heard her name yelled again-way too angry for nine am, by the way-she let out a scoff and hopped out of bed. She could hear a string of expletives and mouthed a spell to silence the cacophony of noise. With Damon effectively muted, she grinned with relief. Pulling on a pair of shorts from the floor, she shuffled out the door and padded down the stairs. Nodding at an amused Stefan, she turned her sights on the ebony-haired vampire.

"If I lift the spell, can you _please_ use your indoor voice?" Damon looked like he wanted to throttle her, but pressed his lips into a thin line before nodding his assent. She casually pointed her fingers towards him and let out a tired sigh. "Wanna tell me why you're literally waking the dead?"

Damon didn't respond with words. Instead, he grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her towards the front door. Throwing it open, he gestured wildly at what he'd come across.

Bonnie glanced down and saw the dead body of a woman who'd been posed with her hands folded neatly over her abdomen. She still had her color, so the kill must have been recent. The witch glanced over at Damon in confusion.

"So, does this happen a lot?"

"No," he ground out, "it, in fact, does _not_ happen a lot. We were hoping you could tell us what this is."

Bonnie's eyebrow quirked upward and she looked down at the body again. "Me? How the hell should I know?" Damon thrust a piece of paper into her hand. She smoothed it out and read the slightly messy scrawl. "Dear Bonster, breakfast delivery. Love, your Future Partner in Coven-Crime." Letting out a soft gasp, she leaned down to get a better look at the woman and felt a pulse of electricity surge into her fingers. The same surge she'd felt the day before. Touching the woman, she realized that her body had been magicked to stay warm. "Fuck."

"You wanna tell us why you're getting corpses sent to our door?" Damon asked, annoyed at his house guest.

"I'm not getting anything sent here," she sneered. "I don't even get what he thinks this will accomplish."

"Who's 'he'?" Stefan, who'd been silent for much of this exchange, asked, his arms crossed over his chest. "You've been here for less than forty-eight hours, Bonnie, and there's already a 'he'?"

Bonnie tutted and threw her hands up in aggravation. "It's not like I was looking for any problems. I figured I'd leave the theatrics to you Salvatores." Irritated, she let out a huff and walked back inside the manor. "'He' is Kai Parker."

"What?" Damon practically shouted before remembering that she could easily silence him with a spell. His nostrils flaring as he let out a long breath, he gathered himself to speak again. "Why in the _hell_ would you be talking to Kai Parker? What, us telling you that he was nutso wasn't enough? Had to find out how sociopathic he was on your own?"

"What happened when you two met?" Stefan asked, decidedly more composed than his brother. "We hadn't heard a thing from him in weeks and all of a sudden, he's out of hiding and murdering people?"

"I almost killed him," she said with a shrug. At their looks of chagrin, she scoffed and straightened defensively. "He was _trying_ to siphon me. It's not like I was actively seeking the guy out. Stop looking at me like that."

"Witchy, we could care less if you killed the guy," Damon said. "These looks are because you came close enough to kill him and then didn't. Should've finished him off."

"The last thing I want is to get involved in your drama, and I don't like to kill unless I have to, not that I should have to explain myself."

"Great, she's another 'Barbie'," Damon griped derisively, directing the comment at Stefan. Shifting to Bonnie, his scowl deepened. "We're vampires, Witchy-woo. Killing is literally what we do."

Bonnie turned to Stefan for support and was surprised to see that he seemed to agree with Damon. "Stefan, seriously? It was in a _restaurant_. There were humans everywhere."

The blonde vampire sighed and rubbed absentmindedly at the back of his head. "Normally, I'd disagree with my brother, but in this case, he's not far off-base. Kai's killed a lot of people and we've never really been able to get close enough to stop him. He could murder an entire square of people if he wanted to. We can't risk it."

Bonnie spared a glance to Damon who'd gotten unusually quiet. He pressed his lips into a thin line and squinted as though deep in thought.

"What's that look?" she asked hesitantly.

"We can use this to our advantage." Damon's features were reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat; it was extremely off-putting. "Clearly, Kai has some weird crush on you." At Bonnie's affronted glare, he rolled his eyes dramatically. "Come on, this is him trying to court you. Breakfast in bed or whatever. Apparently, you trying to kill him, and then not actually going through with it, is his version of flirting."

"We weren't flirting" she snapped, choosing to ignore the figurative, and literal, sparks that had transpired between them. "The idiot was stalking me."

"It doesn't matter, Bon-Bon," Damon explained as though talking to a child. "What matters is that he likes you, or whatever version of 'like' his crazy brain has come up with. We could use _you_ to lure him out. Get him alone."

"Yeah, no, I'm not playing bait for you guys," she said, shaking her head and crossing her arms over her chest. "To Stefan's points, I've been here less than 48 hours and I'm already getting lumped into your ragtag team of supernaturals. Pass."

"Not really asking you," Damon tutted, the left side of his lip quirking upward. "In case you've forgotten, we let you stay here out of the goodness of Stefan's heart. So you owe us."

Bonnie rolled her eyes upward and stared at the ceiling in irritation. "Room and board isn't the same as throwing me into a murder plot, Damon." She turned to the more rational brother. "Look, I get it. Kai sucks, and you guys all want to get rid of him. But I spent most of my life tangled up in these types of messes when I was chasing Katherine. Making deals, killing people. I just don't want that in my life anymore."

Stefan's arms uncrossed and he shifted his stance, digging his hands into his pockets. "Bonnie, I know we just met you and this is a lot for us to ask of you, but if you just knew what this guy was capable of, you'd get where we're coming from." At least he had the decency to look guilty for asking. "He's just too powerful of a being and we can't let him walk around free."

"And if you wanted peace, you never should've come back to Mystic Falls," Damon chimed in, earning him a daggered stare from his brother. Choosing to ignore it, he turned on his foot to head back out the door. "You're doing it, Bon Bon. I'm going to pick up Elena. Stefan, can you pull the body into the house? No use letting fresh food go to waste."

She didn't bother to watch him walk away. She continued to face Stefan, disappointed he didn't see where she was coming from. "It's not my fight, Stefan."

Sighing, he bent his head and nodded slightly. "You're right, it's not. But Damon isn't going to relent. He's got this really narrow focus, especially when it comes to Elena, and Kai's caused so much damage to the two of them."

"What damage? What did he do to you guys?" she practically shouted. "You guys have been all cagey whenever it gets brought up. What happened? How'd Kai get out of the prison world?"

Stefan let out a deep breath and made quick work of dragging the dead woman into the house before shutting the door with his foot. "Probably not a good idea to just leave her there," he said in response to her confused expression.

"Come on. Just tell me."

He made his way towards the kitchen and beckoned her to follow suit. Sitting down on one of the island stools, he gestured for her to do the same. It took a moment before he began to speak. "We were the ones who let Kai out of his prison world," he began. "Do you know anything about the Other Side?"

"A bit," she admitted. "My ancestor created it long ago to house her lover, Silas, and then it became a sort of purgatory for all supernatural souls. He chose to dessicate himself instead of joining her and is laying in a tomb somewhere. I don't know much else, though."

"Okay, so you know the jist of it," he said, seemingly glad he could skip through the folklore. "Months ago, we were attacked by some enemies one night and one of them got Jeremy. Even with the Gilbert ring on, he became trapped on the Other Side." He fidgeted with the ring on his finger and hunched a bit as his shoulders sagged. "We found a warlock to open the veil so Jeremy could cross back over, but he was killed before he could complete the spell...we didn't have a Plan B. Elena was inconsolable; she couldn't bear it, so she turned off her humanity."

Bonnie shook her head sadly; she could understand that. When Emily had passed and she was turned, she'd managed to keep her mind focused solely on revenge, so she hadn't turned off her emotions. But she couldn't deny that there were days that the sadness was unbearable and she'd come close to doing it.

"She became reckless and Damon was so afraid she'd get herself killed. We all were. Qetsiyah had been resurrected, so my brother struck a deal with her. We would send Silas to the Other Side, and she'd bring Jeremy back." He fell silent again, thinking back to what had transpired.

"I'm guessing she lied?" Bonnie asked rhetorically. Obviously, this wouldn't end well.

Stefan nodded in response and took in a loud breath. "She had no intention of helping us. She wanted Silas sent to the Other Side and then have it destroyed so his soul would be sucked into oblivion. But we managed to find another witch from a group called the Travelers who also knew the spell."

"The cursed subculture of witches," she affirmed, "right?"

"Exactly. We got a witch, Liv Parker-"

"Wait, Parker, like Kai Parker?"

Stefan let out a hollow laugh. "Yeah, his sister. I know, it's a lot to keep track of."

Bonnie let out a snort. "Mystic Falls is so _Buffy_ center-of-supernatural-wonder-y, isn't it?"

Stefan let out a real chuckle then. "Yeah, I guess that would probably be a good way to describe it." He stood to grab a bottle of water from the fridge and offered her one as well before sitting back down. "Damon got himself killed, so he could go to the Other Side, find Jeremy, and bring him back. But Liv couldn't keep the veil down for long enough and they both got stuck when Qetsiyah was in the midst of destroying it."

Bonnie shook her head in disbelief. "No wonder Damon didn't want to talk about it. That must have been awful." Her companion nodded in agreement.

"When the Other Side imploded, they were sucked into a vortex and ended up in Kai's prison world. The loss overloaded Elena, forcing her humanity back on. She became hellbent on bringing them back."

"How'd you guys figure out how to do it?"

Stefan took a swig of water before replying. "Kai siphoned some of the magic from Damon's blood and managed to get a message back to us. We needed Bennett blood, so we reached out to one of your descendents, Lucy and got a vial from her. She helped us magick it to the prison world. The three of them were set to come back together, but Jeremy just couldn't imagine letting such a sociopath back into our world. He tried to stop Kai from going with them once he'd activated the spell."

"Oh, no," Bonnie said softly, knowing what was coming next.

Stefan let out a tired sigh. "He killed Jeremy and tried to leave Damon behind, but my brother grabbed on to him at the last moment. Kai made a run for it the second he got back. And then Damon had to break it to Elena."

"Well, she seems okay, so that means she's moving on." Bonnie's tone was hopeful. It was difficult for her to reconcile the happy person she'd met with the woman in the story who'd lost so much.

"Once she became human, she asked for Damon for compulsion. To remove her pain and give her peace. I was against it, but it was what she wanted."

"Wow." It was all Bonnie could breathe out. "That's a lot to process."

"I think that's why Damon is so desperate to kill Kai," Stefan offered. "So he could get rid of his guilt. I think he blames himself for not being able to save Jeremy's life."

Bonnie sat in silence, trying to get a handle on all of the information that was thrown at her. She knew how much revenge could torment a person and could sympathize with Damon. And realistically, she knew that Kai was formidable: he was clearly a psychopath who treated murder with a flippant air. After a minute, she met his gaze and nodded at him.

"Okay."

The dark-blonde vampire raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Okay, what?"

"I'll help you guys."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I got into a discussion with somebody regarding this chapter and they felt like Kai being overpowered by Bonnie makes it hard to accept him as an antagonist. So, I felt the need to point out here that Kai is not the antagonist of this piece, at least not Bonnie's antagonist. 
> 
> Furthermore, I found the interaction fitting as she is a character that was often underestimated on the show...and in my story, she is a BADASS bitch and what better way to illustrate that than to showcase a little of what she's capable of :) Anyway, I completely understand if it doesn't float everyone's boat, but I'm still excited to show you all how this plays out. Until next chapter! Thank you for the reviews and kudos. I'm so so so grateful.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little more Kai/Bonnie interaction for you guys. Now that they've officially met, the pace will pick up quite a bit. Keep in mind, this story is a fun romp. The focus will be on the budding BonKai relationship with the action and adventure playing a secondary role. So, no crazy angst here. Well, I mean, a little angst...but certainly a HEA story. Enjoy!

Bonnie grabbed everything she owned and dumped it unceremoniously on the bed. Picking up a shirt from the pile, she began to fold and organize her belongings in attempts to clear her mind.

She'd agreed to help the gang with their problem. Knew deep down that, considering his past, putting Kai down was probably the best. History painted him as a ruthless murderer, massacring his own family for the sake of power. Sheila had told her of the grizzly aftermath.

Children laying in pools of blood.

Kai found with red streaks and splatters adorning his body, his face betraying none of the horrific acts he'd just enacted on his family.

And now, based on what everybody had told her about present-day Kai, his personality hadn't changed much. He'd cast a spell on Elena to put her to sleep in retaliation for Jeremy and Damon trying to leave him behind. He'd convinced his sister to give up her powers to him and then, ruled by vengeance, had decided to crash her wedding and murder the Gemini members in attendance.

He was blood-thirsty and ruled by his impulsivity. A psychopath with no ego to temper his id. The terrifying part was that much of his cruelty was exhibited before he'd become a vampire. She could only imagine what portion of his personality was exacerbated now that he'd changed.

She stopped her folding to pull the extra duffel she'd borrowed from the Salvatores and placed it on an empty portion of the bedspread. Carefully placing the things she'd just organized into it, her mind roamed back to her interaction with Kai.

Loathe as she was to admit it-and fine, even though she'd also kinda almost killed him-he'd piqued her interest. The way their magic intertwined: she'd never felt that before. While it was true that witches were able to sense the presence of others like them, this was something altogether more intense. The merging hadn't been wholly enjoyable, but she couldn't help but shiver whenever she relived the brief surge of pleasure at his hands. Relived the vibration she'd felt that seemed to run through her veins, igniting her nerve endings. It was as though he was charging her, amplifying her power.

Kai Parker reveled in darkness, but his magic was born of nature, which made its essence pure. When he'd tangled with her, she could practically see into the history behind the coven and the ancestral strength that fed him.

He'd been fair to say that their powers rivaled each others'. The Bennett line extended as far back as the Geminis did. She'd studied up on her family history, knew what it meant to be a Bennett, but she'd rarely put any real stock in it. Sheila had tried to stress upon her the importance of what she yielded, but Bonnie never really thought of herself as being more powerful than other witches; just better-versed and more practiced.

But when Kai had intertwined his essence with hers, she'd been hyper aware of how much power she had contained within herself.

The practical omnipotence was absolutely intoxicating.

Still, was that feeling he pulled out of her enough for her to overlook all the evil he'd brought upon the world? She couldn't be sure.

So absorbed in her thoughts, Bonnie didn't hear the soft knock at the door and didn't notice Elena enter until she was in the witch's line of vision. Startled, Bonnie hissed a breath and backed up, her chest deflating in relief when she recognized the face.

"Sorry," Elena started sheepishly, gently sitting at the other corner of the bed by the pillows. "I figured you'd know it was me, heightened vamp senses and all."

"No worries," she replied shaking her head and picking up the shirt she'd dropped. "My brain was somewhere else."

Elena took in everything that had been heaved onto the bed and frowned. "Bonnie, are you leaving?" She placed her hand on top of her friend's and squeezed. "Damon told me you volunteered to help. And then Stefan told me what _actually_ happened." She rolled her eyes as she mentioned her boyfriend. "I'm really sorry about that. You don't have to do anything you don't want to. Please don't leave because Damon's an ass."

Bonnie gripped Elena's hand reassuringly before releasing it and going back to her task. "I _did_ end up volunteering to help, Elena. But if Damon is going to equate loaning out a place to sleep with joining in on a murder plot, I can't imagine what he thinks I'm going to owe him if I drink another one of his blood bags or something."

Elena was silent for a moment, having nothing to refute that statement. "You don't have to get involved, Bonnie," she began instead. "Damon needs to let it go. Jeremy's dead. We all need to move on from it."

The casual way she mentioned her brother's death brought back Stefan's words of her asking for compulsion to bring her peace. Pursing her lips, Bonnie haphazardly shoved everything into the two duffels and zipped them before tossing them to the ground. She shimmied onto the bed until she sat directly in front of Elena.

"Speaking of...Stefan told me you asked to be compelled to not feel the grief from your brother's death."

"And you don't think it's a good idea, I know," she said dismissively. "Bonnie, we all do what we need to so we can survive. I still love Jeremy, and I miss him everyday. The only thing I had removed was the grief. I didn't erase him. Please leave it alone." She punctuated the last statement with a piercing stare and Bonnie relented.

"Fair enough, it's not my place." She traced a pattern along the comforter and breathed out a long sigh. "I'm still going to help him, though."

"Why?"

Why, indeed? "Because I get it. I get what it feels like to need that kind of closure. I was never able to get it for myself, but I figured maybe I could help the rest of you get it. It's not like Kai is this faultless, amazing guy. We'd be doing the right thing." She felt that nudge again, the ghost of the feeling she'd had when she and Kai had interacted. Brushing it aside, she stood up and grabbed her bags.

Elena followed suit and stood up as well. "Where are you staying?" She kept at Bonnie's heels as they made their way down the stairs.

The hybrid shrugged and put both bags in one hand to grasp at the doorknob. "Sheila's house was placed under my name when she passed, so I guess I can probably go there."

"Stay at Caroline's," Elena blurted out, already pulling out her phone to send the blonde a text. "That way, you can hang out with us. I'll pack a bag and stay there, too." Her smile was giddy as a ping sounded from her phone, alerting her to Caroline's answer. Holding up the screen so Bonnie could see her confirmation, she turned and ran up the stairs to grab her things.

"You realize that Damon's going to hate this," the darker-skinned woman shouted after the retreating form. "He doesn't exactly trust me, Elena."

"Damon has zero control over what I do," Elena called back and Bonnie could hear drawers opening and slamming shut.

The hybrid had a feeling Damon would wholeheartedly disagree with that statement, but she didn't argue any further. Elena bounded down the stairs a couple of minutes later and grabbed Bonnie's hand, dragging her out the door.

* * *

"Thanks again for letting me stay here."

Caroline flicked her hand at Bonnie, shushing her. "Don't even mention it." Bringing a pile of extra blankets into the guest room, she set them carefully onto the bed. "To be honest, I'm glad Elena thought of this. Ever since my mom died, it's been...not great living here."

For the first time since she'd met her, Bonnie could see the happy facade melt from Caroline's face. A tear managed to make its way down the blonde's cheek before she was able to wipe it away.

"Ughhh," Caroline grunted, sniffling and quickly composing herself. "Sorry."

"No, don't be sorry," Bonnie chided softly. "Your mom died. It hurts. It's okay to hurt."

Caroline nodded hastily and put her hands on her hips. "Yes, but not right now. Change into your PJs and meet us downstairs. I ordered every type of takeout possible. We're going to eat and watch terrible romantic comedies where the people have no concept of how real life works." Turning on her heel, Caroline walked out, shouting loudly for Elena to bring the wine into the living room.

Bonnie quickly took off her clothes and shimmied herself into a pair of leggings and a cropped hoodie. Straightening her attire, she allowed herself a light chuckle when thinking back to what had transpired a couple of hours ago.

Proving her right, Damon had, in fact, called Elena several minutes after they'd arrived at Caroline's. She didn't need her vamp hearing to know that he was pissed as he yelled for his girlfriend to head back to the Salvatore boarding house. The memory of Elena shouting a quick _I love you_ over his screaming and promptly hanging up was especially satisfying.

When he'd showed up at the house a bit after, Caroline convinced Bonnie to put up a barrier spell so that he couldn't enter. She had to admit, it had been very entertaining to watch him fling himself at the invisible wall. The witch knew that antagonizing the vampire wasn't the best idea, but Caroline seemed to think nothing of his tantrum and even Elena rolled her eyes at his theatrics.

He'd only left after Caroline promised to rip out Bonnie's throat if she hurt Elena and to take some time to brainstorm their nefarious Kai-murder plans.

"For the record, I would never," Caroline had stated once he'd finally disappeared. "And I don't agree whatsoever with involving you with this 'plan' of his."

Bonnie took a second and threw herself onto the guest bed, wanting to be alone before heading down to join the girls that had so readily taken her into their circle. She laid back with a sigh and closed her eyes, basking in the solitude. She was used to being on her own, so even though it'd been wonderful to have friends to spend time with, she always liked to take time to center herself.

The shrill ring of the doorbell jarred her from her thoughts. The followed shriek of "What the _fuck_ are you doing here?" was even more abrasive. Bonnie rushed out of the bedroom and down the stairs to see what was causing the commotion. Caroline and Elena were at the door, staring down a smiling Kai who was leaning against the doorframe, his ringed hand laying gently against the barrier into the house.

"You know, if I wanted to, I could just siphon the magic out of this barrier and let myself in," he stated casually, taking in Bonnie's form making her way towards them. His lips twitched and curved even higher. "But out of respect for my fellow siphon, I won't. At least, not today, anyway."

Once she was standing directly in front of him, he let the side of his head drop to rest against the frame he was leaning on.

"Hi, Bonster." His voice was soft, almost intimate.

She bristled, wondering what was going through the minds of the young women behind her. His reaction to her was too familiar, too comfortable. Not at all like what his reaction should have been regarding a woman that had almost killed him the day before.

His gaze raked over her as he took in her attire. "Girls' sleepover? Cute. Can I join, too? We can braid each others' hair and have pillow fights in our underwear."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and shoved at Kai until he released the wooden frame. "Guys, give us a few, please?" She glanced over her shoulder at the girls, willing them to leave. Caroline looked to object, but Elena grabbed her hand and led her back towards the living room and out of sight. The witch stepped outside into the warm air and closed the door behind her.

"What do you want?" she hissed, "Our last tussle not enough of a warning for you?"

"Our last tussle is exactly why I'm here." He pouted before pulling a pendant out of his pocket and holding it in front of her face. The charred and melted remains of a charm glinted at her. "This was my favorite necklace."

"Next time, don't skimp on the quality of your metals," she said with a shrug. "You tried to drain me. It was rude. Glad you're okay with the maiming-your-body portion of our interaction, though."

"The perks of vampirism. My body heals; my attire doesn't." His eyes twinkled lasciviously. "Did you enjoy your breakfast this morning? I killed it especially for you."

"I fed it to Damon. He said thanks." She was rewarded with Kai's petulant scowl. "Is this something I should expect now? You deciding to show up wherever I plan to be? Have you ever actually tried to get a girl?"

"For anything other than sex or blood? No." At Bonnie's knowing cluck, Kai glowered at her and pulled her hand, dragging her to him. Casting his gaze down, his eyes blazed with a savage heat that scorched her. "Being trapped in a prison world for what should have been my peak womanizing years means that I need more practice, not that I don't know what I'm doing." He squeezed her hand, lightly pressing his magic against hers. They both shuddered at the contact. "Why are you pushing at me so hard? You're really going to base your opinion of me on the words of people you barely know?"

"So you're not a sociopath, then? Is that what you're saying?" She deadpanned, sarcasm lacing her words.

"Of course I'm a sociopath," he retorted with a tut. "But I'm a slightly reformed sociopath. Side effect of merging with a sibling is that you absorb their personality too. Little Luke was a kind soul."

"It would take a lot more than a kind soul to fix you, Kai," Bonnie hissed. "Should I bring up your dead sib-"

"I _said_ slightly," he interrupted before she could continue. He still hadn't let go of her hand. He brought her palm towards him and placed it on his chest. "My heart actually _feels_ now. I _cried_ the other day. Do you even understand how weird that is for me? This water literally started pooling in my eyes. Has that ever happened to you? Like- like water just...just oozing out of my eyeballs like I'm some alien creature excreting fluids." He gestured emphatically at his face, the concept of feeling deep emotion completely foreign to him.

She found his confession comical, if not more than a bit sad. "So you're a psychopath who has feelings? That's the beginning of every villain's origin story, Kai. You're a small hop away from decimating the whole town."

He let out an annoyed grunt. "Fine, yes, I murdered my siblings in cold blood. I took out a chunk of my coven on a whim, and I like killing people for funsies. Okay? I'm kinda evil, yes. But...I don't know. I find...that I don't wanna be evil with you." Judging from the way his voice dropped an octave at the last statement, it clearly pained him to say it. His words almost seemed sincere. "How am I any different than the people you're spending your time with? Bonnie, just give me a chance. I could've killed your little friends with a twitch of my nose and I chose not to. I'm asking you instead of just taking what I want."

She severed their magical link, but her hand didn't leave his. Her voice came out as a low murmur. "Why? Why this interest in me? You don't know anything about me and our first meeting was more combative than romantic. I don't get it."

Kai's eyebrows shot comically upward, practically disappearing into his hairline. "How can you even ask me that? Aside from the fact that you're a physically perfect specimen, you're just like me. Doesn't it excite you? That we have this special link to each other?"

He was voicing everything she'd felt when she first found out about him. She couldn't disagree.

"Plus," he continued, "there's this." He let his magic pulse outward to interweave with hers, willing her to do the same. Instead of fighting it as she'd done before, she released her magic in a slow trickle. His hands pressed against hers, palm-to-palm and she felt an intense rush of pleasure flow through her. Flushed heat glided directly underneath her skin, overloading her senses. There was no static this time around; this felt fucking amazing. A moan reverberated in her ears and she released the hold with a gasp when she realized it was hers.

Kai's eyes remained closed, his nostrils flaring as he tried to calm his breaths. Sucking in a gulp of air, his gaze landed on her again, his smirk irritatingly knowing. "See what I mean? When you allow me in, that's what it feels like. You can't tell me you don't want to feel like that all the time, for-fucking-ever." His touch against the skin of her bare side felt warm, but he didn't siphon her this time. "Your power is intoxicating; I've never felt anything like it. At first, I just wanted to take it for myself, but that's no fun; it'd be a one-time thing. If we can share, I'll get to feel like this whenever I want." The air around him had shifted; something had changed. He'd heard her moan. He was winning her over.

"I meant what I said, Bonster. I lead the entire Gemini Coven; I can offer you our knowledge and let you tap into all the magic your heart desires."

In the back of her mind, Damon's voice broke through the haze, reminding her of what she'd agreed to. Backing up so that they were no longer touching, she quickly regained her composure.

"I'm a Bennett witch, Kai," she snorted, putting on an air as though she hadn't been affected by his touch. "I don't need Gemini magic; I have my entire ancestral line backing me."

Kai's face dropped at the mention of the surname. "Bennett?"

"Yes, Bennett." She moved to invade his space, just slightly. "My magic is what put you in that Prison World. How do you feel about me now?"

His eyes betrayed a myriad of emotions: anger, shock, confusion, hurt. When he spoke, however, his tone was light. "Depends, any plans to put me back in there?"

"Only if you don't behave."

Kai scrunched his nose as though deep in thought. His usual smile was plastered back on his face. "Shame. I rarely behave. But you do realize, if you put me there, I can figure out how to trap you there with me. We'll be stuck together forever, Bonster. So really, at the end of the day, it's a win-win for me." There was an underlying threat in his words; one he wanted to make sure she understood. _I'll take you down with me._

She didn't know how he'd do it, but she didn't doubt any of the words coming out of his mouth. Gemini power was just as ancient as her own, but they had recorded knowledge and grimoires she'd only ever dreamed of. Grimoires he now had access to. If he allowed her to peruse them, she could figure out the spell he'd used to keep his entire coven from perishing once she took him down.

For the first time since meeting him, she appreciated his recklessness. He knew nothing about her and, yet, was so willing to allow her full entry into his world.

"Wouldn't want that," she whispered, pressing herself against him so he could feel every inch of her. His low growl rumbled against her chest. "So, you said you want a chance?'

"I'd love one." His palms pressed against the soft skin of her back and he let his fingers tap an erratic rhythm. His metal rings felt cold against her and she shivered slightly.

Bonnie hummed, fully aware of what she did to him. She tipped her head, raising her lips until they were barely a breath away from his. He leaned forward to meet her for a kiss, but she dipped away, nuzzling his nose before moving back completely, depleting him of her warmth.

Kai was left holding air and let out a strangled grunt of disappointment.

"One chance." She danced away from him until her back was pressed against the front door. Her hand wrapped around the knob, but she didn't turn it.

He recovered and let out a chuckle. "So...you're gonna let me...court you? Is that the word?"

"More like I'm going to let you convince me that having you around would be a good thing and not a detriment to my life."

Kai's hands clapped together with elation. "Good enough. I'll take it. I'll pick you up here tomorrow night at 9."

Before she could lament about meeting him again so soon, Kai had already blurred away, as though he feared staying would make her change her mind.

"Ew, you're seriously going on a date with him?" Caroline's voice was shrill and loud against the door.

Sighing at the lack of privacy, Bonnie's wrist moved to turn the knob and she pushed hard, causing the wood to smack into Caroline. Elena stood a bit farther back, her face scrunched into a grimace at the crack. Caroline dabbed at her nose and, seeing that there was no blood, merely scoffed in annoyance.

"Real mature, Bonnie."

"This coming from the girl who was snooping on my conversation?"

"I was there to back you up," she squawked. "We thought he might try to kill you."

"Or sexually assault you," Elena chimed in, much to Caroline's disgust.

"You cannot date that guy, Bonnie."

Bonnie's mouth quirked into a lopsided grin. "Caroline, you can't forbid me from dating Kai. Besides, I thought I was doing what I was supposed to. Get to know him. Find out what makes him tick. Get rid of him."

"Bonnie, you know Caroline and I could care less about what Damon thinks about this." Elena moved forward, her hands in her jeans pockets. "We would never want you to be around somebody like him just to help us."

"Guys, it's fine. He's offering me access to his Gemini grimoires. It's a witch's dream to have access to all those spells. The Bennett line was so fractured, so we don't have nearly the type of records they do. I can't lie and say it's not attractive."

Caroline hummed and crossed her arms over her chest. "And I suppose you think he's attractive, too?" Her tone was critical. "That's it, isn't it? You're using this whole "we need to kill him" thing as an excuse to cuddle up to the pretty psycho."

"Care," Elena warned softly, placing her hand on her friend's shoulder to calm her. She shifted her attention to Bonnie. "What Caroline means is that we understand if you like him. I'm in love with a sometimes-reformed serial killer and Care is in a maybe-relationship with a ripper. We won't judge you."

If Bonnie allowed herself to give in to Elena's acceptance, she wouldn't be able to follow through with her plans. "I don't _like_ him. He's weirdly charming; sociopaths usually have that quality. He's done so much wrong. Taking him down would restore the supernatural balance." Even as she said it, the words rang hollow in her ears.

"So, wine?" she asked, making her way into the living room to pick up the bottle. Pouring 3 full glasses, she handed them to her companions, effectively ending the conversation. She took a sip and let the idle prattle wash over her as the two girls started to take the various takeout containers from their bags.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a short chapter here to kick off the BonKai date. Thanks and enjoy! I appreciate all the reviews and feedback. It gives me life.

It was 8:45pm and she'd spent the better part of the last hour trying to decide whether or not she should back out of the date.

Although it wasn't fear that threatened to keep her away, there was certainly a discord that drummed within her. On the one hand, Kai excited her. Fed into the darker parts of her that were borne from the supernatural powers that ran through her blood. Perhaps he was a kindred soul; somebody who understood her on a cellular level. Her curiosity piqued by his nature, she couldn't help but want to know how he worked: how deep his sociopathic tendencies ran. Did he have the potential to tame the monster within him, much as she subdued the one inside herself? Maybe if she found Kai to have good inside him, that would be enough to negotiate a truce between all the parties. Negotiate peace.

This was where her thoughts became truly dangerous. Because on the other hand, the whole point of her even going on this date had everything to do with trying to figure out how to bring the guy down.

Bonnie had been so sure of her decision when she'd made it. But now she had to wonder if she had been too hasty, too reliant on her own past experiences. Being alive for almost two centuries allowed for her the luxury of introspection. Content as she was with her current lot in life, she knew that her years of chasing revenge left her with a deep-rooted sense of failure. Failure that colored so many of the choices she'd made.

Standing in front of the mirror staring at her reflection, she now realized that, deep down, she was hoping that helping them would somehow fix her. Allow her to finally let go of the weight she still carried with her.

She was beginning to think doing this wouldn't help. She didn't like Kai, per se, but she couldn't say she really hated him, either. And was using somebody else's hate to justify her choices really the hill she wanted to die on?

Unless she chose to change the plan..to find a way to make all parties happy. Keep Kai away from her new friends...and Damon. Find some form of respectable punishment that would appease them, but would keep her fellow hybrid alive.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Bonnie zipped up her favorite black leather booties and headed down the stairs to where her new friends were waiting.

Caroline stood immediately when she heard Bonnie's footsteps and the witch had to smile fondly. How quickly Caroline had taken on the role of mother hen. It was an endearing quality and though Bonnie could very much hold her own, it still warmed her heart to have somebody care about her like that.

"I'm coming with you," the blonde stated succinctly and Bonnie imagined that in any other scenario, it would have left little room for argument.

Instead, the hybrid breezed past the two girls and sat down on the opposite loveseat. "Care, we've talked about this. You're not coming with me." She eyed Elena who looked to chime in. "You're not, either."

"What if he decides to go psycho crazy because you don't give him a kiss goodnight or something?" Elena reasoned, her doe-eyes gazing down imploringly. "We can be your back up."

Caroline shook her head emphatically and sat, pulling Elena down with her. "Yeah, I agree with Bonnie on that point. There's no way you're going." Caroline held her hand up before her friend could protest. "You're human, Elena. If Bonnie and I are going to have to fight Kai, we can't be worrying about you, too." It was harsh, but true. Elena without any superhuman strength would be a liability when going against somebody like Kai.

"Guys," Bonnie snapped sharply as the two other women began to bicker. "None of you are going with me. Kai won't hurt me tonight. At the very least, he's going to be on his best behavior on the first date."

"And if he's not?" Caroline bit out, annoyed that her friend wasn't understanding the danger she was putting herself in.

"Then I'll put him down myself. You forget, I almost did it before."

"You got the drop on him," Elena argued. "It's not like you're going to catch him unaware again. He knows how powerful you are, Bonnie. He's going to have his guard up."

"My ears are ringing." Kai's voice filtered through from the front door, his lilt light and sing-songy. "And Elena's right, my guard will definitely be up."

Bonnie scoffed at the interruption and stomped to the door, yanking it open. Stepping out to keep him from getting any closer to the entrance, she shot him a glare. "You're 6 minutes early," she snapped, her face contorted into a scowl.

Kai grinned, unbothered by her tone, and held a small gift bag out to her. "Figured it was better to be early than late."

Bonnie didn't move to grab it and focused on the proffered gift warily, as though it would explode at any second. "Giving me a cursed object before our date even starts is probably not the right way to do this, Kai." Her statement earned a snort of derision as he grabbed her hand and dropped the handle onto her fingers.

"Need I remind you that if I really wanted to kill you, I could do it without all this pretense."

"Yes," she replied, dragging out the s, "but you seem like somebody who likes to play with their food."

"Hm." His grin was salacious, causing Bonnie to groan, slightly mortified. "So are you saying you'll let me eat you?"

"Gross, so, so gross," Caroline gagged behind them.

Kai peered over Bonnie's head and waved at the two ever-present girls. "Hi moms. I promise to have Bonnie home at a respectable hour." He placed his attention back on the mocha-skinned beauty before him. "Open it." For a moment, his features softened and his gaze betrayed his nerves. He wanted to see her reaction.

Sighing, Bonnie placed her hand in the bag and pulled out what appeared to be an old book, its corners bent and pages yellowed. She noticed the familiar signet on the cover and let out a soft gasp. "Kai, this is one of my mother's grimoires." Her face lit up and she turned to show Caroline and Elena.

Though they didn't know, specifically, what she was holding, they understood the significance and offered encouraging--albeit hesitant--smiles.

Bonnie's green hues focused on Kai and she couldn't contain her excitement. "How did you find this? I've been looking for my parents' books for years. When they passed, other witches looted their home. I've only been able to find, like, 1/10th of their stuff."

"Gemini witches took most of it," he shrugged, unabashed even after she scowled at him. "What? It's a good thing. At least you know it's all safe. And as promised, you'll have full access." He gestured at the book in her hand. "I thought I'd give you that to show you how serious I am about sharing with you."

Bonnie didn't want to admit it, but she was very touched. She opened the grimoire and her smile only grew wider. It was filled with spells and remedies to cure and heal childhood maladies. Interspersed throughout, she saw her mother's familiar scrawl write little anecdotes about her children. It read as a supernatural baby book. Kai had chosen to give her something her mother had used when Bonnie and her sister were young.

Bonnie felt a tear run down her cheek and she hastily swiped at it with a sniff. She looked up at Kai, who was beaming. He knew he'd chosen right.

"This is so special, Kai." She hugged the grimoire to her chest with both arms. "This means so much to me. Thank you."

Always one to ruin the moment, Kai waggled his eyebrows at the two women still standing uncomfortably in the foyer. "10 points for Kai Parker, ladies. See? I'm not so bad."

"Shut up, Kai," Bonnie barked, stepping inside and placing the book on the accent table next to her. She nudged at Kai to back up so she could leave before Caroline started yelling again.

Before the door shut, the blonde still managed to get out another barb. "I will pull your brain out through your nose if you fuck with her, Kai."

Bonnie pursed her lips and let out a low chuckle.

"That sounds exceptionally painful." Kai remained unbothered and held out his arm for her.

"They care, it's sweet. Warms my almost two-hundred year old heart," she said casually, making her first play. It never hurt to remind supernatural men when she had the upper hand.

It was Kai's turn to laugh and he nodded. "Yes, the heart that pumps through your uber-strong, super-experienced, almost two-hundred year old body. Gotcha." He stopped in front of a sporty black car and let go of her to open the door.

"An i8," Bonnie said as she got into the vehicle. "I'm mildly impressed."

"Thanks, took it off the guy I had for lunch today." Kai ran around to the other side and hopped in, ignoring her chastising glare. "Oh, come on, Bonnie. Live a little. You're telling me in the lifetimes you've been around that you didn't partake in the hedonistic pleasures of vampirism?"

"I happen to have self-control," she sniffed. "You're too casual about killing people, Kai."

"Yeah, and so is your new bosom buddy, Damon, but I don't see everybody getting all up in arms when he does it."

"I barely tolerate Damon."

Kai hummed in acknowledgement. "The amount of times that guy tried to kill me is getting borderline offensive."

"You murdered Elena's brother," she returned disbelievingly. "You're honestly trying to tell me that you don't get why he's so pissed off? Why they all are?"

'Of course, I get it," he snarled, "but it was the guy or me. Did they tell you that Gerald stabbed me after I finished the spell and tried to leave me for dead?"

"Jeremy," she replied softly. "His name was Jeremy."

"Whatever." Kai lowered the volume in his voice and sucked in a breath. "I was different, then, Bon. I hadn't merged, yet."

"You've done a lot of terrible things since, " she reminded him, her thoughts flashing to a red-wedding massacre.

Kai said nothing for a moment and sped up a bit, shifting gears on the driving stick. His demeanor seemed tight and she could see his jaw tick as he ground his teeth. Seconds later and a complete change seemed to wash over him. His body loosened up and his eyes brightened. Turning to her, he grinned cheekily and put his hand on her denim-clad leg, squeezing slightly.

"And yet, you're still giving me a chance. What's that say about you, Bonster?"

"That I can be a monster, too." Bonnie's tone was matter-of-fact. "Maybe I'm hoping some of my self-restraint will rub off on you."

He squeezed her leg again and pulled away, turning his attention back to the road. "If there's rubbing involved, sure, we can give it a try."

She rolled her eyes and smacked him across his shoulder. "You're an idiot. Where are you taking me anyway?"

"Alexandria. There's a place there that the coven told me about. It's a lounge that caters to us witch-folk. Figured it'd make a good first date."

Bonnie felt a mix of interest and anxiety run through her. She'd been to these types of places when she lived in Europe, but never visited anything in the states. While most places were accepting of siphons, there were still a number of old school witches and warlocks that subscribed to the notion that those like her needed to be locked away or ostracized. She wondered aloud what kind of crowd there'd be tonight.

"Uncertainty is the fun part, Bonnie. We'll see."

"I'm surprised your coven even speaks to you. Considering your...past actions, I would assume they don't want anything to do with you."

Kai offered a non-commital shrug. "They don't really have a choice, do they? They derive their power from the Gemini leader. And if I die, they die. Ruling by fear has its perks, Bonster. They're too scared to cross me."

"All it takes is one brave soul to take you down. They could figure out how to sever their link to you. It wouldn't be impossible."

"It would be if the super smart Gemini leader took all those books and hid them away, which he did," Kai contended, tapping his temple with his pointer finger.

Bonnie pouted internally, but she supposed she shouldn't have assumed it'd be easy to get access to those. Still, it was hopeful that he confirmed that there was, indeed, a way to cleave the link.

"You know, you can't wear that to this place," he chided her after a beat, glancing over her form.

Bonnie had put little effort into dressing up. She'd thought they would stay around Mystic Falls, which had minimal options in terms of date nights. "Your fault, you didn't tell me how I should dress." She took in what he was wearing: a button-down, untucked, with a dark blazer slung over his shoulders and dark-pressed pants. Considering it was similar to his usual attire, she hadn't paid much attention. "You're not wearing anything different."

"Excuse me, Miss, it's because I'm always dressed well. No more band tees and flannel for this man. We can stop at a store and take something if you'd like."

Bonnie sighed and stared down at her own clothing. She had on a red long-sleeved tunic that hugged her curves and that ran to her thigh (short girl problems...most shirts ended at her thigh). The hem of the top had sheer lace running along the edge. "I think I can fix this." She tossed off her trusty leather jacket and dropped it at her feet. Sliding off her boots, she quickly unbuttoned her jeans, causing Kai to swerve the car in surprise.

"What are you doing?" he cried. "Trying to kill us? You can't just take off your clothes when I'm driving."

"We wouldn't die and keep your eyes on the road." She ignored his leer as her underwear peeked into view. She shimmied out of the jeans and tossed them behind her into the backseat. Shaking her arms out of the sleeves, she pushed them up through the neckline and pulled at the top until it sat at her bust. Bonnie grabbed the sleeves to loop and tuck them into the collar, effectively creating a strapless dress. Taking the hair tie she always kept on her wrist, she bunched up the left side of her top and tied it before tucking the knot under, fashioning an asymmetrical hem that showed the entirety of her leg. She turned to him and winked when she noticed his slack-jawed appearance.

"Always need to think creatively," she said with a laugh. "Good enough, now?"

"Good enough, yes," he replied dumbly, nodding slowly. "You do know what you're doing to me, don't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. You said what I was wearing was inappropriate and I didn't feel like stealing, so this was the best solution." She threw a smirk in his direction and swore she saw his eye twitch. "So, tell me more about this place."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, obviously Bonnie could just magick herself some new clothes, but what's the fun in that?! :P


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got excited and decided to put up the next chapter early! This one was quite fun to write :). A lil magic action and Kai and Bonnie's first date! Thank you all for the reviews so far. They bring me joy and give me life!

The place, as it turned out, was a sleek and shiny nightclub lounge filled with modern furniture and chrome fixtures. Music blared from the speakers and candles were strewn throughout, magically hovering along the ceiling and above the tables. The flames burned brighter than usual, no doubt made so by spells.

Kai had originally pulled up to a seemingly innocuous building in a rundown part of town. If Bonnie hadn't known better, she would have assumed they were in the wrong place. However, a quickly muttered incantation and the facade began to disappear, literally liquifying to reveal the true space underneath. To any other human or passerby, the exterior remained old and dilapidated. A valet sprinted out from within the depths and grabbed the keys from Kai. They watched as the young man waved his arm over the car, morphing it into a beaten down clunker before driving it towards an unknown parking area.

"Neat trick," Kai had said appreciatively, offering his arm to her and tugging her through the doors. He was met by one of the workers and after a brief chat, they were led to a small table for two where they were now sitting.

Bonnie soaked in her surroundings. Throngs of people were dancing while others drank from seemingly bottomless glasses. People were using magic freely: dancers were using wind spells to cool themselves from the heat of other bodies; groups were showing off, shooting flames and electricity into the air. She loved places like this. The supernatural too often had to hide themselves to maintain the status quo. It was always fun to let loose, to be exactly how the universe made them.

She felt Kai sidle close to her, his arm slinking its way around her waist to rest at the exposed portion of her thigh. She noticed how he had let his gaze linger at that part of her makeshift dress, where he could see the bend of where her leg met her hip. Bonnie knew it affected him, and she'd made a note to cross her legs often, putting that part of her body in full view.

Kai Parker was an extremely possessive man. He'd seen the way others had gravitated towards her, clearly hoping for a chance to dance with her, to talk to her. Their brazen attempts to reach her with him standing right next to her. His hand on her skin wasn't just because he wanted to touch her; it was to ensure that others knew she belonged to him.

Bonnie moved her head until she was fully facing him, his lips entirely too close to hers. Smiling devilishly, she shifted a bit, trying to put some space between them. But his hand held fast to her, refusing to let her move away. It seemed like he was going to kiss her and, this time, she didn't think she'd stop him. However, his mouth merely hovered over hers for a moment before it went to her ear.

"What do you want to drink?" His voice was a low murmur, the dulcet tones making her tingle. He was teasing, turning her game back on her. The hand on her hip pulled until she was pressed into his side, his fingers dancing over the gooseflesh that had appeared on her thigh.

"Whiskey, please." She took on an air of nonchalance, whirling her head to the dance floor to watch the patrons move euphorically to the music.

Without detaching himself from her, Kai waved the fingers of his other hand at the flame above them, causing it to burst and expand exponentially. A witch quickly appeared at their side and took their orders before lowering the flame back to its original aesthetic.

Bonnie was starting to get antsy. The music was pumping through her and she wanted nothing more than to let her body move and sway to the beat. She grabbed at Kai's hand on her thigh and squeezed.

"I wanna dance." She turned back to him. "Want to?"

"Unless it's in a mosh pit, I don't really dance."

She started to get up and tried to pull him with her, but he became a dead weight, refusing to move. Bonnie pulled a face and shrugged before relinquishing her hold on him. If he didn't want to dance, she would go by herself.

She slid through the crowd, making her way to the center of the chaos. The music playing overhead was slinky and haunting, a deep bass thrumming and coercing her hips to rock to the music. She recognized the artist as The Weeknd and sighed contentedly. One of her favorites. There was something about dancing that always brought her such unadulterated joy.

So lost was Bonnie in her own world that she didn't notice anybody close to her until hands moved and clasped at her arm from behind. For a moment, she'd thought that Kai had decided to join her, but a glance over her shoulder gave her a glimpse of a beautiful dark-skinned stranger. He smiled dazzlingly and asked to join her, all charm and light. Bonnie nodded her assent; his aura felt non-threatening and she could use a partner. The man came closer behind her and began to move with her, their hips syncing to the music. Bonnie noticed that the same artist continued to play and she purred appreciatively. It was like the DJ could read her mind (and considering where they were, that was entirely possible). She turned to face the man and wound her hands around his neck, continuing to move with him. He remained respectable, never fully encroaching on her space and allowing her to lead.

The dancing, for all intents and purposes, was innocent. But Kai's view clearly told a much different story. She could feel his anger directed at her and the magic that joined it pinched at her skin. Choosing not to play his childish game, she continued to dance with the man, entertaining his idle chit chat.

A rough grab at her elbow caused Bonnie to fall back and she landed in Kai's arms. The heat from his hands warned her that he was going to try to siphon the poor stranger, so she turned and gave him a disapproving look, willing him to calm down.

Kai's hands cooled and he shot Bonnie's former dance partner and a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Sorry, man. Just here to take my date back." Without waiting for any kind of reply, Kai dragged Bonnie back to their table and practically tossed her into the booth.

"The manhandling is a bit much." She poured herself a full glass of whiskey and tossed an ice cube in, downing the contents in two gulps. "If you don't want to dance with me, it's fine. But stopping me from doing it is unacceptable."

"To be fair, I wasn't stopping you from dancing. I was stopping _him_ from dancing...with you." Not to be outdone, Kai poured a glass to rival hers and managed to swallow all of it at once. "He was practically fucking you on the dance floor, Bonnie. How am I supposed to react? If you were trying to make me jealous, it worked."

She, in fact, hadn't been trying, but knowing that she did gave her a twist of satisfaction. "You were free to join me at any time."

"I don't dance."

"Learn. If you're going to come to places like this with me, you'll learn." Pouring herself another, she leaned back and took her time with the second glass. "Why did you want to come here anyway? Doesn't seem like your scene."

Kai shrugged and cast a quick spell to muffle the noise around them so he could hear her better. "Like I said, the coven members told me about it and it seemed like something you'd like."

"But you don't?"

"I dunno. I like the people watching aspect." He took a sip of his newly made drink. "And after being stuck in a prison world makes this a novel experience for me. Plus, I get to see you dressed up like that." His eyes dropped and his gaze was unapologetically suggestive. "Not the worst thing to do." He smiled, then, and it was one of the rare ones. It was real.

Her insides warmed pleasantly; she liked his smile.

_Ah, fuck_.

She might actually like him. This was _not_ what she wanted.

Her body moving of its own accord, she found herself sliding closer to him. No teasing this time; no initiation from Kai. She just enjoyed being next to him.

His body twitched with delighted surprise and he tested the boundary by linking his fingers through hers and kissing her hand before letting it settle between them.

They continued to sit like that for the next hour, forgetting their surroundings and getting to know each other.

It took a group of drunken crazed warlocks to stop their fun.

Bonnie had stepped away momentarily to use the restroom and came back to a heated conversation between Kai and two men. They were standing too close to the table for her comfort and while her date seemed to be rather calm, she could see the telltale tick in his jaw. She hurried over and slid back into the booth, hoping her presence might be enough to defuse the situation.

"Hi, friends of yours?" she asked sweetly, offering the two men a disarming smile. Their stony demeanors remained unphased. Turning to Kai, she nuzzled his cheek with her nose, both to calm him down and as a show of loyalty. "Everything good?"

For all intents and purposes, he was completely unperturbed. His demeanor never changed and he remained relaxed, his back leaning against the booth and his drink dangling precariously from his fingertips. Kai faced her and dropped a chaste kiss to her cheek.

"Everything's great, Bonster." His tone was a little too exuberant, betraying the lie. "These two gentlemen wanted to say hi to the newest Gemini Coven leader."

"My sister was in your coven," one of the men, lithe and blonde, spat out. "She attended Josette's wedding."

Kai pressed his lips into a thin line and nodded knowingly. "Yes, you mentioned. What's the matter? You miss her? I'm sure there's spells to commune with her spirit."

"Kai," Bonnie snarled, "stop it."

The taller man was incensed; this situation was going to escalate quickly and she didn't want anybody to get hurt.

"What? I'm just trying to be helpful. He's sad because he misses his sister."

"No, you're not. You're being a dick." Bonnie's attention went back to the two standing in front of her. "Guys, I understand you're upset. Kai fucked up. But there's a lot of people here and we don't want-". Her sentence was interrupted when the man and his friend, equally blonde, but stockier, stepped forward and she could feel a crackle of magic hit the air around her.

An invisible hand seemed to grab at her throat, effectively cutting off her vocal chords. She felt herself getting lifted out of her seat and up into the air. The lankier man moved closer, his hand curled in her direction. His friend recited a quick incantation, igniting the flame above their table. The fire curled and slithered downward, trying to wrap itself around Kai's torso.

Bonnie created a sonic boom around her, throwing off her surprised attacker. Turning to the other hybrid, she saw his clothing begin to smoke. Kai fought for control of the flame, his magic pushing back against the other man's. The fire unfurled and shot forward like a cobra, setting the stocky blonde's shirt ablaze. He screamed in pain as his friend doused him in water to put it out.

At this point, all eyes in the club were on the commotion, even as the music continued to blare. Bonnie stood next to Kai and wrapped her hand around his wrist.

"We need to get out of here. It's only going to get worse."

"Are you kidding me? They attacked us." Kai was seething, his chest rising in a staccato rhythm. "No, I think they need to understand what happens when they fuck with me."

The two men could see security coming forward, so they launched themselves at the two hybrids. The stout man placed his hand on Bonnie's chest and she felt her heart painfully constricting underneath her ribs. Gasping in anguish, she placed her palms on his forearm and began to siphon, absorbing his power.

Shocked, the man was unable to fight back as she continued to pull his magic from him.

Feeling him weaken, she relinquished her hold and threw out a force of energy, throwing him back towards the bar area.

He stood and tried an incantation only to realize that she'd drained most of him.

"You're a siphon," the man shouted." You're a freak."

Most of the surrounding people had heard him and a large group of witches and warlocks decided to join the fight. Bonnie shifted her eyes to Kai, who had decided it'd be fun to send the bar area's entire supply of knives careening towards the original instigator.

She shouted to get his attention as the group began to surround her, voicing different incantations. "Kai, please." She threw up shield barriers to protect herself and began throwing out counterspells, but it was difficult to stay ahead when there were so many people attacking her. On top of that, she had several shield spells surrounding Kai, who was too hyper-focused on one single man to notice that attacks were coming at them from all sides.

Her fellow hybrid stopped the knives' trajectory and halted them mere centimeters from his antagonist. Assuming that she was chastising him, he smiled devilishly. "Relax, Bonster. I'm just gonna maim him, promise." He spared a glance over to Bonne and realized the trouble she was in. He flicked his hand at a couple of witches, causing others to dive out of the way as they went sailing through the air into the bar counter.

Bonnie faltered when her bones in her legs began to bend and break. She fell to the ground with a cry. Everytime a bone would heal, another one would break. The pain caused her fangs to descend, her vampirism coming to the forefront in a desperate attempt to heal her.

"She's a fucking vampire, too," one of the witches bellowed, realizing that the hybrid was able to withstand an inordinate amount of injury.

Lobbing as many spells as she could at those fighting against her, Bonnie began to feel the magic around her ease up. She shook out her legs and stood, her body quickly healing. The witches and warlocks attacking her were now focused on her date.

Knives originally meant for others were now aimed at him. Dozens sailed through the air and pierced him simultaneously, causing him to sink down to his knees. Blood spurt out of his mouth and dribbled down onto his shirt.

Jumping towards him, Bonnie slid forward until her body was in front of his. Her form was taut, ready to attack. Throwing one arm up, she cast a shield spell around them. With her other, she pointed to a huddle of witches. " _Errox femus_." Lips twisted into a dark smile of satisfaction, she watched as their bones broke at odd angles and they screamed out in pain. Several warlocks cast spells in her direction, but she quickly countered. " _Reboundus."_ The spells rebounded off her and flew back, taking the attackers out.

Behind her, Kai worked to pull the knives out of his body. As he started to heal, she felt him rise up behind her. Looking back to meet his gaze, she shook her head against whatever he was about to do.

"Kai. We need to leave before this escalates any further."

Choosing to ignore her, he stepped around until he was now covering her. Using her shield spells to his advantage, he took a deep breath and began to harness his power. He was completely enraged, which boosted his abilities exponentially. His gaze lifted up towards the ceiling and Bonnie gasped as the club began to rumble. A large chunk of the paneling above came crashing down onto several people, crushing them. Bit by bit, pieces fell, taking out more and more of their attackers.

Understanding that he was looking to take down the entire building and kill the people within, Bonnie pointed her own palms upward and countered Kai by weaving her magic throughout the building to keep it fused together.

At this point, everything was absolute chaos. People were running as quickly as they could towards the exits since most of them didn't have the power to protect themselves or join the fray. Several stayed behind, trying to assist Bonnie.

"No, just leave it. Get out." She barked her orders at them, her body straining a bit more as the others released their hold. They were all emptying out, including the security team, who knew their focus was better suited in trying to get the innocent people out.

A few opponents remained, refusing to admit defeat. They continued to throw attacks, which both Bonnie and Kai had to physically jump to avoid. All the while, the brunt of their concentration remained on the building.

"Kai, for fuck's sakes, stop it." She was screaming now, the strain of holding back the opposition and keeping the structure standing taking its toll. Drops of blood began to pour from her nose, but he wouldn't relent. He was in his own world, hellbent on destroying those who attacked them. Seeing the blood vessels pop in his eyes, she knew he was just as strained as she was.

Realizing that they were at an impasse, Bonnie gave up trying to hold the building together and instead centered on joining Kai. She'd hoped that by adding to his magic, she could disintegrate the debris, leaving the pieces too small to hurt anybody. Using every bit of concentration she had, she took a deep breath and let every ounce of magic surge from her body. A force rattled throughout the building, grinding the plaster and concrete into pixie dust. Nothing was left standing but the studs and the columns.

Spent, Bonnie collapsed to the ground, her hands the only thing keeping her head from hitting the hard floor.

Kai seemed to break from his fervor and took in her form strewn on the tile. The three remaining people were coughing profusely, but looked like they still had enough in them to try one more time. Sensing the threat, he used his vampire speed to snap their necks, smiling sadistically as they crumpled to the ground with a thud.

Rushing over to Bonnie, his arms reached forward to pick her up, but she stabbed him in the leg with a knife she'd found on the ground.

He hissed in pain and pulled the knife from his flesh. "Bonnie, stop, it's me."

"I know." Her breathing was labored and her voice low. "Don't fucking touch me."

"Bonnie, please." He dropped down to his knees in front of her, trying to touch her, but she shifted out of his grasp. "At least take some magic from me."

Her tone was venomous. "Look what you just _did_ , Kai. You killed people. You forced my hand and made me destroy a whole fucking building. Just because somebody wasn't nice to you."

"No, Bonnie, not because they weren't nice to me," he said softly, his features beseeching. "Because they were hurting you."

"Don't use me as an excuse. You did this because you worship chaos." Her body finally beginning to heal, she stood to leave. She shuffled dizzily, the magic drain weakening her significantly. "You egged the guy on. You killed his sister and you made fun of him. Disgusting."

"I'm sorry," he cried out to get her to stop walking and pulled himself up. "Let me at least take you home. Please."

She regarded him disbelievingly. "No, you're going to stay behind and deal with this mess. I can't even fucking look at you." With that, her heel turned and she pulled out her cell, dialing Caroline to come pick her up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! And don't worry, this is a "Bonnie and Kai vs. the world" kinda fic, not a Bonnie and Kai vs. each other story. But you know how it goes, a personality like Kai Parker cannot get to his happy ending without messing up quite a few times along the way. :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter! Bonnie and Kai's first kiss?! It only took 8 chapters LOL. Oh, man the slow burn of it all.

"You have 36 missed calls, Bon." Elena had found Bonnie's cell sitting underneath a pile of pillow cushions in the living room and tried to return it to its owner.

Bonnie shook her head and pushed it away. "Put it back where you found it. I'm not answering him."

"Maybe you should at least answer just to tell him you don't want to talk to him anymore. He's going to keep calling otherwise."

As though he could hear them, the phone started to ring again, the noise cutting annoyingly through Bonnie's already thinning sense of calm. Snatching the phone out of Elena's hand, she squeezed at it until the case and glass shattered.

"Problem solved," she said with a grin, dropping the pieces into a wastebasket. "Wanna grab some lunch?" Glancing at the trash can, she sighed regretfully. "And, I guess, a new phone?"

Elena rolled her eyes, but relented and gave a small nod. "Sure, I just need to stop by the boarding house for a sec."

Bonnie blanched and let out a disgusted snort. "I am definitely not in the mood to go see you go make kissy faces at Damon."

"Ha. Ha. Nothing like that. Just need more clean clothes. Caroline's out with Stefan and I'll make sure Damon is on his best behavior. We'll be out of there in a snap."

"Ah, was wondering where she was this morning." Bonnie had been mostly silent the entire ride home the night before-updating the blonde in broad strokes-and had prepared herself for an onslaught of questions from the blonde when she'd woken up, but Caroline was nowhere to be seen. "Are they on a non-date?"

Elena shrugged and slung her crossbody bag around her neck. "Who knows with those two. They're either hanging out as "friends" or having sex. There's no in between." The long-haired brunette flounced towards the door and swung it open, stopping when she realized Bonnie wasn't following.

The hybrid was honing in on her extrasensory hearing, making sure she couldn't pick up anybody else nearby. She even sent out feelers with her magic, just in case. No static. Good. She turned her attention back to Elena, who was patiently waiting with an eyebrow quirked in question.

Bonnie grabbed her things and crammed them in the back pocket of her jeans. "Sorry, wanted to make sure he wasn't lurking." She moved to follow Elena outside and closed the door behind her. The two made their way to the car.

"Wouldn't he know better than to try to come around you right now?"

"You'd think, but knowing Kai…" the mocha-skinned woman trailed off with a jerk of her shoulders.

They got into the car and Elena shifted the gear, driving down the street. They travelled in silence for a few minutes and Bonnie was grateful that the other woman wasn't pushing her for information.

When she finally did decide to speak, it jolted Elena in surprise.

"I was actually starting to like him," Bonnie started quietly, staring straight ahead at the road. "Makes me feel shitty. That he was able to get at me like that."

Elena's head bobbed solemnly. "I get that. It must have been scary seeing him like that. Wielding so much power."

Swallowing hard, Bonnie let out a pained sigh. "That's the worst part. It wasn't scary. It was hot." At Elena's gasp, a strangled noise rose out of the hybrid's throat. "I know, I know. Why do you think I'm so aggravated? You've hung out enough around Stefan and Damon, Elena. You know how much we crave that darkness. The allure of it is intoxicating. Vampires like us, we work so hard to temper that part of ourselves, you know? Kai...Kai just makes me want to relish in it."

The younger woman was effectively muted for a few breaths, unsure of what to say to such a confession. "So, you're staying away from him because you want to jump his bones, not because you're mad?"

"Oh no, I'm fucking pissed. He was immature and a total asshole. He let those idiots bait him and look at what happened."

"Yeah, but...if you saw him, would you kiss him or hex him?"

Bonnie's lips thinned into a grimace. "Both. Hex first, kiss after. But honestly, I think maybe it's best if I just avoid him altogether. " Staring out the side window, she shook her head, annoyed. "I swear, I've had more drama in the few days I've been here in Mystic Falls than I have in the last 50 years I've been alive."

Elena let out a wry chuckle. "Yeah, we can always use it as a tourist attraction. _Come to Mystic Falls if you have a desire to live in your own soap opera._ "

At that point, Elena turned into the driveway leading up to the boarding house. They quickly got out of the car and headed inside.

"Darling, I'm home," the young brunette called out, smiling when she saw Damon saunter out of the kitchen, a blood bag in his hand. She met him halfway and stood on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss. "Miss me?"

"Terribly." Damon pulled her in for another kiss. "The bed's been very cold. Please tell me you're done playing hot-girl sleepover and coming back." He regarded Bonnie with a smirk. "Hello, Witchy."

Bonnie nodded in acknowledgement and made herself comfortable on the living room couch, resting her feet on the edge of the coffee table.

"Not today," Elena responded, regaining his attention. "Just here to pick up more clothes."

The dark-haired vampire pouted and pulled her in for another kiss, trying to convince his girlfriend to stay. "Come on, I'm so much more fun than they are."

"Incorrect, you just have the ability to bone her," Bonnie called from her position on the sofa. "We are, in fact, infinitely more fun."

Elena giggled and gave Damon a wink before bounding up the stairs to their room. With her gone, he turned his attention back on the witch.

"So," he began, dragging out the word, "how're things?"

" _Things_ are fine." She knew where he was heading with this conversation and was not in the mood.

"So everything with your new boyfriend is going well?" He sat across from her, posturing as though he sincerely cared about her well being.

"Oh, cut the crap, Damon. You don't give a shit about how things are going with Kai and I already know Elena told you what went down last night."

Throwing his hands up in mock surrender, he scoffed loudly. "Excuse me for wanting to see how you were doing, Witchy. I mean, taking down an entire nightclub. Solid work." He gestured as though tipping an imaginary hat to her. "Any luck wooing your gentleman caller?"

"No, and I'm not dealing with him again, Damon. Find another way to get at him."

She could pinpoint the second his demeanor changed and his temper began to flare. "No can do, Witchy. You were the one who insisted on getting to know him so we could figure out a way to sever the ties to the rest of his coven. Me? I'd much rather just have you distract him with your womanly wiles so we can catch him unawares and lob his head off."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Womanly wiles?"

"I mean, I could have said 'vagina'."

Bonnie made a gagging noise. Damon Salvatore talking about her vagina was something she never wanted to hear again. "Class act, Damon. And you guys have managed to figure out your way out of things long before I came here, so not too sure why I'm the deciding factor all of a sudden."

Damon nodded slowly and curled his lips into a smug grin. "Okay, fine. I'll just call your descendent, Lucy. She owes me a favor and I can ask her to try to get the grimoires from Kai." He tapped his finger along his jaw, as though deep in thought. "Although, he's got no interest in her and is incredibly surly towards anybody who's _not_ you." Placing his hands on his hips, he made a big show of looking concerned. "He'd probably end up killing her and that would be a bummer." Shaking his head dramatically, he sighed heavily. "But hey, at least you're not involved, right?"

Shooting up from her seat, Bonnie lurched forward until she stood toe-to-toe with him. "Are you threatening my family, Damon?"

His eyebrows shot up in mock surprise. "Bonnie, please." His exclamation was loud. "How could you possibly think that? I'm simply worried for her. I mean, you said we should find another way...she's been our magical conduit in the past. I'd much rather get your help since you're less likely to get your heart ripped from your chest. But what am I gonna do? You're kinda forcing my hand here, Bon-Bon."

Glaring at him, Bonnie focused her energy until Damon began to cry out in anguish. He dropped down to the ground, clutching his head.

Elena heard the commotion and came rushing down, sucking in a breath when she saw her prone boyfriend. She rushed towards him and turned to Bonnie. "Bonnie, please stop. Whatever he said, he's an idiot sometimes, but please stop."

Bonnie released her hold and Damon let out a grunt of relief. Allowing Elena to help him up, he glowered at the hybrid, eyes squinting from the residual pain.

"You don't get to threaten me or my family," she seethed. "I've been perfectly amenable, but I think you're forgetting that I can destroy you if I want. Kai's not the only one with almost unlimited access to magic."

"But you're kind, Bonnie," Elena said softly. "You're not like him."

Bonnie huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. She ignored the nagging thought in the back of her mind suggesting that, perhaps, they had more in common than people assumed. "Your boyfriend is an asshole."

"Asshole or not, I'm not threatening you _or_ your family." Damon moved close, his eyes wide and unyielding. " But this is the reality of the situation, Witchy. You were the one who found out that Kai's life was bound to all the coven members. _You_ decided you had to find out how to cut the link. If you're not going to do it, we don't have a choice. Lucy is the only witch we know who's even remotely powerful enough to help. So unless we decide to just go balls-to-the-wall and attack hoping he doesn't kill us, what other option do we have? You already said the coven members' lives were non-negotiable."

She remained silent; Damon was right. It was annoying.

"I don't want to deal with him right now." If she were being completely honest, she didn't know if she wanted to deal with Kai at all anymore. The date might have ended horrendously, but she'd found herself bonding with him. And now, it was throwing all of her thoughts out of whack. She wasn't sure if she wanted anything to do with him, but she definitely didn't see herself wanting to really harm him...

"Well force yourself, Bon-Bon. We all do things we don't like. Take me, for example. I'm letting Elena be friends with you even though I don't like you."

"Shut _up,_ Damon." Elena hit him across the shoulder with all the force she had and smirked in satisfaction when he flinched and went to rub at the sore area. "You're not _letting_ me do anything. Next time I won't try to stop Bonnie and let her give you aneurysms to her heart's content." She hit him again for good measure.

"I love you, too, Elena," he said, wincing. "Fine, fine. I'm sorry. Not 'let'." I'm tolerating your friendship with Bonnie, all right?" He placed his attention back on the witch. "So, are we both on the same page?"

Bonnie pondered her next steps. At the very least, she could find a way to at least unlink the coven from him. If not for anything, it would allow freedom for the innocent witches in his coven. "If we can keep our interactions to the bare minimum, sure."

Damon's smile was creepily reminiscent of the Joker. "Bon-Bon, if that's the case, then we're exactly on the same page."

* * *

Within five minutes of booting up her new phone, it began to ring again. Glancing over to Elena with an exasperated roll of her eyes, she swiped to answer.

"So, did you continue to call me in the hopes that I'd pick up?" She kept up her pace, the two women heading towards a local deli to grab some lunch.

"No, I stopped when your phone started going straight to voicemail." The delight and relief was evident in Kai's voice. "I started again when I saw you walk out of the cell store."

Bonnie stopped abruptly, causing Elena to almost trip to halt her trajectory. The hybrid spun around, trying to pinpoint where Kai stood. "I can't feel you. How can you see me?"

He emerged from around the corner of the street behind them. His posture was wary and his face hopeful as he made his way towards the pair. Once he reached Bonnie, he turned off his phone and placed it into the back pocket of his jeans.

"I cloaked myself. I needed to talk to you and I knew you'd avoid any area that even had a hint of my presence." He nodded at Elena, as though just now noticing she was there. "Human."

The woman in question let out a noise of displeasure.

"Her name is _Elena_ and you know it," Bonnie commented before her companion could say anything. His noncommittal shrug was met with a daggered stare and he relented.

"Fine. Elena." His countenance was petulant, like a child who was being forced to do something he didn't want to. He met Bonnie's eyes and grabbed her hand, frowning when she stiffened at the contact, but was comforted when she didn't pull away. "Can we have some time alone?"

Bonnie gripped at Elena with her other hand, silently asking her not to object. "Why don't you head back to Damon's and have lunch with him instead? He obviously missed you. I'll meet up with you at Care's later. We'll all grab dinner."

"Are you sure? I'd rather wait for you," the younger woman replied, nonplussed.

Offering her a reassuring smile, Bonnie nodded and nudged Elena gently towards the direction of her car. "Definitely. We'll sync up."

The raven-haired woman's steps were hesitant, making it clear that she was uncomfortable leaving them alone together. However, eventually she turned a corner and disappeared from view.

Bonnie's focus remained on everything but Kai. Wrenching her hand out of his grasp, she began to walk towards the park, hoping to find a secluded area for them to talk.

"Where are you going?" His steps hurried along to follow her until he was able to meet her stride. "I thought you said we could talk."

"I did. I just didn't think the stuff we had to talk about should be said in front of all these people, do you?" She moved faster until she found a natural alcove under some trees that provided them with privacy. Gently lowering herself onto the grass, she began to pick at the weeds, feeling rather than seeing him sit down beside her.

Kai let out a sad exhalation and toyed softly at a tendril of her hair. "Please look at me."

Bonnie refused, realizing that every time his grey eyes met hers, she'd feel the hot coil of anger all over again. Anger at him for being such an idiot; anger at herself for still having this connection to him.

"Bonnie." His timbre was supplicating as he intertwined his fingers with hers. "I'm sorry. I went too far." She still didn't look up, but made a soft humming noise that bid him to continue. "I know it's not an excuse, but this is all new to me. Feelings and morals...you have to understand, I've lived my whole life doing whatever I wanted. When I was younger, I did it for attention. As I got older, I did it because I could and because I liked it."

His lips pressed into a thin line, no doubt memories of his past misdeeds flashing in his mind. "Then the merge with Luke happened and I was hit with all of these emotions I didn't even know existed. Emotions that allowed me to develop this insane fucking crush on you."

Bonnie snorted in derision at the comment, but didn't say anything to interrupt.

"It forced me to have a conscience I'd never had before," he continued. "But the old me is still here, Bon. The baby bro soul in me tries to temper it, but I still have this toxic need to hurt and to prove that I'm better." He tentatively shifted several inches closer to her. "And when that guy tried to hurt you? Bonnie, I wanted to flay him alive. I wanted to kill him in the most painful way possible."

"I don't want to bear that kind of responsibility, Kai," she said softly. "I can't be the person who causes this kind of reaction out of you. You were disgusting last night. You were every ounce of the type of monster I despise."

"I know, and I get it. But aren't you being a little hypocritical?"

Bonnie's nostrils flared and she yanked herself out of his reach, moving several inches to put space between them. She finally met his blue-grey hues. "How am I being hypocritical? I don't go around maiming people just because I feel like it."

"No," he began, dragging out the _o,_ "but you do get the idea of destroying those who hurt the people you care about, yes?"

"Kai, you _barely_ know me. That type of violence is not a normal reaction for a woman you just met."

"A woman who I just met who gets me. I know you feel that connection, too. And not just the sexy feelings." His smile was lewd, but one glare from her and his face dropped. "Right, not the time. But let's be honest here, Bonster. What we feel for each other is real and intense. Because we understand each other. Because we know what it's like to be outcasts and what it's like to have lived with assuming you were the only freak in existence. Being siphoners, and all the stupid painful bullshit that comes with it, made us what we are. Your moral compass may be in better working order than mine, but it doesn't mean you don't understand why I do the things I do."

"Just because I understand doesn't mean that I'm okay with it," she spit out. "We have very different ideas of what we consider acceptable forms of revenge. Or even acceptable forms of behavior in general. Everything you do is so over the top. Your punishments don't fit the crimes, Kai. Katherine killed my sister, I tried to kill her. A guy gave me a papercut and you tried to decimate an entire club filled with witches. Are you getting my issue here?" Her voice raised half an octave after each sentence, her anger bubbling up to the surface. "I can't have a relationship with somebody if I'm always going to worry that he's going to go nuts at the tiniest thing."

His ears perked up at the last statement. "Relationship? So, you think about us being in a relationship?"

Scoffing to hide her slip, she clucked disapprovingly. "Any kind of relationship, Kai, not just a romantic one. What I'm saying is I don't want to be around anybody who's so volatile."

He nodded as though he understood and she truly hoped that he did.

"Okay, I guess that's fair." He wove their hands together again and let his magic warm her palm. "Compromise, I will try to moderate my...outbursts if you try to give me a little leeway if I fly off the handle."

"Better compromise, we draw a hard line at murder-for-fun, and _then_ you can moderate your outbursts based on that scale."

"Bonnie…"

"Just try, okay? Damon did it for Elena."

Kai balked at the comparison. "If you think comparing me to Darren is going to put the odds in your favor, you are _so_ very mistaken."

"Kai, just...this is important to me."

The warlock sighed and drew his legs up, letting her go and resting his arms on his knees. "Fine."

It was difficult for her not to show her surprise. Bonnie had been so sure that he would put up more of a fight and it would have become a total battle of wills. "Really?"

Quirking his eyebrow at her reaction, he chuckled and knocked her knee with his own. "Yes, really. I told you. I'm serious about this. You're my match, Bonster. Our power, our history, our pain. We're kindred."

His words were overwhelming and she couldn't help but question the validity of what he was saying. Being a man who'd only just been introduced to true emotions and empathy, she wondered if that could be the reason why he felt them so intensely. Because he never had to deal with them before. Perhaps a small crush, in his eyes, was akin to kismet.

Still, the feelings were there; she knew because she felt the same. She leaned into him, picking up on his natural scent mixed with the woodsy cologne he wore. The smell was intoxicating, so she moved a bit closer, the tip of her nose lightly grazing the side of his neck. His sharp intake of breath caused a pleasant heat to warm her cheeks. She inhaled deeply before pressing a long kiss to his cheek. Tipping her head slightly back, she offered him an impish smile.

"Kindred is a strong word."

"Take the win, Bonnie," he said with a dark chuckle, locking his eyes with hers. A finger reached to curl around a belt loop in her jeans before he pulled hard and her upper body fell against his so that their chests were pressed against each other. Her legs dropped sideways so that they rested against his knees. Bonnie gasped in surprise and found that her face was barely an inch from his.

She held his gaze, not backing down and offered him her brightest smile. When he leaned forward this time, she didn't back away, didn't tease. Kai's hand moved up to cup the underside of her jaw and her neck. Using his thumb to caress her cheek, he shifted until his leg was completely pressed up against hers. Bonnie clasped his wrist and nuzzled her cheek against his palm, giving him silent permission.

Leaning forward without further preamble, he lightly pressed his lips against hers. It began as a chaste kiss, but she soon felt him pour his magic through their connection, linking with hers. The surge created a charge within her, a crackling heat that had her body tingling with pleasure from head to toe. She moaned into his mouth, causing Kai to move his other hand to her waist, pulling her even tighter to him.

He deepened the kiss, coaxing her mouth open as his tongue peeked out to lick along her lip. Accepting him and allowing him closer, her hands roamed the shirt underneath his ever-present bomber and gripped the fabric to pull him in. She poured her own magic back into him and was rewarded with a low growl that rumbled in his chest. She let out a shocked squeal when he took control and tugged her onto his lap to straddle him, holding her in place with his hands at her neck and legs pushing into her back.

Bonnie pulled away, taking a moment to gaze at him. His eyes were closed, his breathing hard and she liked him this vulnerable. Slanting her mouth, she gave him quick staccato kisses, loving his gasp when she nibbled at his bottom lip.

Kai opened his eyes, then, and seeing the fire in them fueled the euphoria she already felt from her fingertips to her core. He moved in once more, overtaking her mouth with his own, almost as though he wanted to completely devour her.

Moaning again, her hips ground into him of their own accord, forcing him to break the kiss with a shuddering groan. Smiling wickedly, she ground into him again, relishing the feel of him hardening beneath her.

He let out a strained laugh and stilled her hips, interrupting her haze. Arms encompassing her, he held her close and moved his lip to her ear. He bit hard at the lobe, earning him a loud hiss. "Unless you want me to completely destroy you out here in the open, I think we need to stop." He pulled back with a sinful smile and gave her a chaste peck. "I mean, if you're cool with it, I have absolutely no issues with exhibitionism."

Bonnie snapped out her lustful state and she remembered their surroundings. "Yes, right. We're at a park. In daylight. With children running around." She dragged herself off of him, grinning at his whine of disappointment.

They both sat silently for a few moments, willing themselves into a calmer state.

Standing and brushing his backside of grass and dirt, he held out his hand to help her up. Once she was back on her feet, he leaned in for another quick kiss.

"So, we're okay?" he asked, his demeanor open and earnest.

The witch offered a small smile and shrugged her shoulders. "We'll see."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some of you will wonder how this whole "Bonnie's involved in a plot to kill Kai" thing will pan out if this is a story about them coming together. We will see a resolution for sure, but things will obviously get a bit messy. The conflict they'll have with each other will take a backseat to the conflict they'll face as a couple. Considering this is Bonnie and Kai we're talking about, this is not a surprise. Also, there will be quite a bit of smutty goodness coming up soon and it should be lots o' fun, sexy times :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: A little more movement in the BonKai relationship. No sexy times in this chapter, but I loved being able to give you more insight into their dynamic. But I promise, the next chapter will be lots o' fun ;-)

There were definitely things about Kai Parker that surprised Bonnie in the most pleasant ways. Case in point, at the moment, he had her hand firmly clasped in his as they roamed the town square and would periodically lift it to place a soft kiss on her knuckles. Granted, his gestures seemed to coincide with other men giving her the eye; but still, it was interesting to see a man, who up until recently had barely any emotional acumen, be so open with PDA.

In the past five weeks, they'd been on fourteen dates. True to his word, Kai had become a much mellower version of himself. No maiming, no murder and with the exception of an over-zealous feeding, no deaths (that she knew about, anyway). Their time together was spent doing a myriad of both mundane and supernatural activities. One night would include taking in a movie while the next night consisted of the two teaching each other the most interesting spells in their arsenal. He taught her hallucinatory spells that allowed for her to manifest complete illusions and change the environment at her whim; she taught him how to create entire gardens with blooming flowers and plants. It was delightfully charming and, magic aside, had probably been one of the most normal courtships Bonnie had ever experienced.

She could freely admit that she'd never had a full-fledged relationship before. Most of the men she'd met during her travels were brief flings, quick quasi-relationships that she knew would never amount to anything. And, being honest, she never wanted them to amount to anything. Barely ever more than a fleeting fancy, Bonnie had never had real feelings for those she spent time with.

She'd come close once; it was right after she'd decided to stop hunting for Katherine. Hindsight told her that it had more to do with her loneliness than any actual love for the man. He'd asked her to marry him and she'd entertained the notion for awhile, but the thought of being with him for the rest of their immortal lives had filled her with dread.

Needless to say, she'd returned the ring and left the country to see other sites in Europe.

This...thing with Kai, though. It was different. Not that she was anywhere near committing to him in any kind of meaningful way, but she adored spending time with him. Most men she was interested in tended to be for sexual gratification and little else. With Kai, while the chemistry was certainly there, she was more than happy to just get to know him.

With every passing date, she liked him more and more.

It obviously threw her plans and thought processes out of whack. Instead of figuring out a way to take him down, she now focused more on figuring out a way to give Damon and Elena their closure while allowing Kai to stay safe.

She felt like she was taking on the role of a double agent, not letting either side know her agenda. It sucked.

The only people that seemed to have any inkling that something was off were Elena and Caroline, but that was probably because any time she didn't spend with Kai, she spent with them. It was hard to hide things from two young women who became completely invested in her life (and vice versa). They were naturally suspicious, and in that same regard, naturally cautious.

She couldn't blame them for being wary of her relationship with Kai. In their eyes, he was a monster, rightfully so. He'd done nothing to get on their good side and they hadn't had any real interaction with them.

And if she were being honest with herself, even she got freaked out from time to time when she thought about the things he'd done. He'd asked her not to hold his past against him, but those travesties were not for Bonnie to forgive. What really needed to happen was that she had to get them all in the same room. Get them talking and work through these issues. Figure out a way to make everybody happy.

It was a good plan. Convincing them, however, was an entirely different story.

"Want ice cream?"

Kai's voice shook Bonnie from her thoughts. She turned to meet his expectant gaze. "Oh, yeah, sure."

He let out a quiet harumph, indicating that he knew her mind was elsewhere, but didn't push her to explain. Instead, he tugged her along until they were in front of the ice cream parlor, practically shoving her into the shop in front of him. Kai did the gentlemanly thing and waited on the queue to pay as Bonnie moved towards the separate line to order the ice cream.

She glanced over at him inquiringly and he gave a noncommittal shrug, which meant she was free to choose a flavor for him as well. Turning back to the display case, her eyes lit up as she took all the flavors that had some type of cookie dough or batter in it: her favorites. Like an excited child, she bounced on her feet and waited for the woman behind the case to divert attention to her. Soon, she had multiple sample spoons in her hand and had ordered a double scoop of vanilla with brownie chunks for herself and a double strawberry jam swirl for Kai. The sweet older woman handed her the cups with an endearing smile and Bonnie reached up to grab them. Thanking her, she started to head back towards Kai.

"The brownie one is my favorite, too." A voice bid her to stop moving.

Facing the stranger, she smiled politely at the man. "I mean, you can't go wrong with anything with brownie chunks in them, right?"

"Right, I usually mix mine with a scoop of the cookie dough."

As soon as he finished his sentence, she felt it almost immediately. The essence of a warlock. She regarded him carefully, her attention completely detracted from the ice cream in her hand. His smile was off, setting off alarms in her head.

He grinned sagely with a nod. "So you've caught on, good."

"What do you want?" Bonnie's eyes darted over to Kai, who was too engrossed with his phone to really notice what was going on around him. She assessed the rest of the shop. There were a lot of humans and any kind of fight here would not end well.

"Honestly, just wanted to meet the infamous Bonnie Bennett, powerful hybrid," the man replied, straightening before eyeing her shrewdly.

He was older in appearance, his eyes and mouth lined with fine wrinkles. He was out of place and she hated that she hadn't noticed immediately, too focused on trivial things.

"You're a disgrace to nature," he continued, "and shouldn't be allowed to exist, but your bloodline is considered legacy, one of the greats." He paused with a twitch of his lip. "I both respect and loathe what you are." His line of vision moved towards Kai for a moment. "But to align yourself with garbage like him, Ms. Bennett. Your ancestors must be livid."

"You have no idea what my ancestors think," she hissed, her magic radiating off of her in warning. "I doubt you were just hoping for an intro, so I'll ask you again, what do you want?"

"Truly, Ms. Bennett," his voice polite, but with a threatening edge, "I'm just here as a distraction."

Bonnie's eyes widened in realization and she spun quickly just in time to see Kai fly through the air and get sucked out the door. It happened so quickly that the humans barely understood what had happened. Most stood staring confusedly at the empty space he'd previously occupied. She dropped the cups in her hand without another look at the warlock and flashed out after Kai.

There was no trace of him when she got outside. Distressed, she anxiously released her magic and was relieved when she felt his own answer the calling. She sprinted forward, letting the trail guide her. As she ran, she quickly whipped out her phone and fired off a text for back-up.

The sight she took in when she finally found him made her heart drop into her gut. Kai was standing in the middle of a pentagram of witches, all chanting simultaneously. For the time being, he seemed unscathed, but he was clearly trapped. She watched him fire spells only to have them bounce against an invisible barrier.

"I'd stay out of this fight if I were you." The same man appeared behind her, his demeanor calm despite the current events. "He needs to be removed from power, taken down. We're doing what needs to be done for the good of the coven."

"You're Gemini," she bit out. "Did you forget that if you kill him, you destroy yourselves?"

"Not kill him, put him down. Eternal sleep."

Bonnie grabbed the man by the arms and started to siphon, gasping when she felt a hard resistance. Smirking, the man rested his hands on hers and silently mouthed a spell. She grunted in intense pain as what felt like molten lead seemed to pour into her veins. Her body grew heavy and she sagged, his form bending with her as her knees buckled.

"Ms. Bennett, we know what to expect from the two of you. You can't siphon from us."

The dark spell burned throughout and she felt like she was being incinerated from the inside out. Gathering what strength she could, she turned to Kai and saw him watching her, throwing himself against the translucent barrier, desperate to get to her. She saw him yell words, but couldn't hear him.

The man shook her until she faced him once again. "Nothing against you. We just can't have you stepping in and trying to help." He strengthened his magical hold on her.

Bonnie was almost completely immobilized, the spell effectively paralyzing her from head to toe.

"Well, what if I helped instead?"

The hybrid let out a breath of relief at the familiar voice. The hands on her loosened as the man was thrown headfirst into the group of witches, taking out one of them. The remaining four stumbled but remained in position, chanting louder to keep the spell going.

Caroline's hand reached out to pull her up. She held on gratefully and stood. The vampire blood in her was starting to work its magic, healing her body and quelling the burning pain she'd felt just moments earlier.

"Thank God you're here," she breathed out. "We have to stop them."

"We're here to stop people from hurting Kai?" Bonnie startled at the third voice. She hadn't even noticed Stefan, who now stood beside Caroline.

"Stefan, we're here to help Bonnie." Caroline said exasperatedly. "She clearly wants to save Kai and we don't want her to get hurt doing it by herself."

His head turned to Bonnie. "That still doesn't answer why Bonne wants to save him."

The hybrid let out a frustrated growl. "I don't have time for this, Stefan. Either you're going to help me save him or I'll do it my fucking self."

Letting out a displeased sigh, the male vampire turned towards the fray. "We should start with the ones in the circle," he began reluctantly. "Whatever they're doing, it looks like it's starting to affect him."

Bonnie diverted her attention to her fellow hybrid; he was down on his knees, trying to fight against the magic, but it looked like he was becoming weaker by the second. The original man from the ice cream parlor had stood and brushed himself off, locking eyes with her.

"You guys take out the five. I got the old douche."

She didn't bother to look after them as they rushed towards the group, focused solely on the clear leader. Her fangs dropped and her eyes blackened as she leapt, throwing her weight forward.

His shielding spell came up immediately, but she was ready for it. Sliding down on her right leg, she braced her hands into the ground and muttered a quick incantation. The ground beneath her began to rumble until a chasm formed beneath him, causing him to fall several feet down. The shield dissipated and she jumped forward to grab at the collar of his shirt, pulling him to his feet.

Bonnie went straight in for the kill, not wanting to draw this out; her hands moved to his neck to snap the fragile bone, but he was quicker than she anticipated. A surge of power emanated from his hands and she was thrown back several paces. She got up quickly and lunged again, punching him squarely in the jaw.

He staggered backwards, blood spurting from his lips. She went to hit him again, but his reflexes were fast and he caught her arm. He chanted the same spell as before and the spreading pain was excruciating. Throwing all of her strength into her other arm, she managed a spell strong enough to push him back and relinquish his hold on her.

They fought for what seemed like hours, but was likely only a few minutes. His magic was a force to be reckoned with and though Bonnie had brute strength on her side, he was putting up a lot more resistance than she'd anticipated.

A scream distracted her momentarily. She looked to her right just in time to see Caroline and Stefan take down two of the witches. Their necks were snapped and they had fallen in unceremonious heaps on the ground. The other three weren't strong enough to keep Kai's trap up, so they broke from their circle and backed away, throwing shield spells up around them for protection.

"Joseph," one of them cried out, distressed and fearing for her life.

Seeing that they might not be able to win this fight, the older man shouted at them to retreat. Before Bonnie could catch hold and stop him, the man and his two minions quickly disappeared into vapor.

"Fucking cowards," she shouted into the ether, hoping that a wisp of him remained and he could hear her.

She was pissed that they had run, but her concern soon turned to Kai. He was on his hands and knees, head drooped low to the ground. Stefan and Caroline stood over him, unsure of whether or not they should help him. Rolling her eyes exasperatedly, she hurried and bent down next to him, gently lifting his chin with her fingertips. His eyes were murky and unfocused, but he managed a small grin when he saw her face. Bonnie laughed softly and pressed a light kiss to his forehead. A small bit of blood had dribbled down his lip and she swiped her thumb across to wipe it away.

"Hi," she said soothingly, her hand rubbing the back of his neck in comforting circles. "How do you feel?"

"Tired." His voice was tinny and strained as he sank forward, his cheek laying against her bosom. She embraced him tenderly and rested her chin on the top of his head.

Bonnie had no idea how much more time the witches had needed to fully put him under. As it was, he looked on the verge of unconsciousness. She had to get him back to Caroline's and figure out how to undo the magic within him.

"I have to stand you up, okay?" Her voice was soft, soothing. "We need to get out of here."

Pulling his head away to meet her gaze, his stare was ardent and beholden. "You care about me."

She laughed in disbelief. "Well, obviously."

"Thank you."

"I mean, since we kinda helped, you're welcome." Caroline's voice startled Bonnie. She'd forgotten that she and Stefan were there.

Kai glanced upward at Caroline and offered a hint of a smile. "Thank you." The statement was utterly sincere and it clearly shocked the blonde, who merely blinked and nodded in response.

Bonnie stood and tried to pull him up with her. He sagged down, unable to hold himself up, so she had to lurch to catch him. Hearing Stefan sigh, she felt the weight lighten as he slipped an arm behind Kai's waist and shimmied until his shoulder was underneath the hybrid's arm.

Catching the knowing and slightly disappointed look coming from Stefan, she knew there'd be much discussion later. But she couldn't worry about that right now. Her first concern was making sure Kai was okay.

* * *

It had taken a lot of begging for Caroline to allow Kai into her home. With the promise that she would perform another barrier spell later, Bonnie managed to get him up the stairs into the guest bedroom she was staying in. She'd decidedly ignored Stefan's attempts to talk, but sensed that he was still in the home.

Great, he was going to wait to talk to her.

She was currently on her knees beside Kai on the bed, running a diagnostic spell and trying to suss out what kind of magic had a hold on him. Fingers dancing above his body, Bonnie felt unfamiliar tugs to her power. Whatever spellwork they'd used was old magic and not something she had ever wielded. She experimented at one point, seeing if she could just siphon it out of him, but it seemed like the Gemini had built in a failsafe. Whatever Joseph had used to keep her from siphoning from him had been weaved into this spell.

Still, she was relieved to feel the hold on Kai weaken as she moved over him. The spell was incomplete and, from what she could discern, there should be no permanent effects.

Letting her fingers drop, she clasped them together and rocked back to sit on her feet. He was watching her intently. Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair to move the fringe away before peeking over at him.

"I told you ruling by fear wouldn't work."

"Hey, I'm an injured man who almost kinda died. Some TLC would be nice, Bonster." His voice came out soft, still weak.

Pursing her lips, she let herself spread out on the bed and lay her head down on his shoulder. With great difficulty, he shifted so that he could wrap his arm around her and rested his hand on her temple. His movements were slow and klutzy.

"Much better," he said with a smirk. "Any idea how long I'm going to feel like this?"

"Not sure. Based on the diagnostic, I'd say a few days. But I've never seen this before so I could be wrong." She heard him sigh in relief and changed the position of her head so that she could face him instead of looking down at his chest. "Kai, they're rebelling against you. Tonight was well-orchestrated. Had I not called Caroline for back-up, they would have succeeded. You need to shift your ruling tactics. One dissenting voice is all it takes to start a revolution."

A strangled noise bubbled out from the back of this throat. "So they tried. They failed. I'll just have to make sure to be more careful going forward."

"Kai." Her voice was sharp. "You were, literally, thisclose to being spelled into sleep oblivion. How can you be so cavalier about this?"

Were he at full strength, this would have become a full blown argument, but he, understandably, didn't have the energy to go full-tilt. "Because things like this are going to happen when you rule a coven of hundreds, Bonnie. There will always be mavericks who want the power for themselves."

"But putting you down won't give them reign or power, Kai. They just want you gone. This is serious. If you don't try to get them on your side or at least get them to accept your leadership, it's going to get worse." She placed her palm against his chest and rubbed softly. "What if I'm not around next time?"

"What makes you think you'd ever not be around?" he asked, pulling her in closer until her body was flush against his. She flicked his nose in irritation and he acquiesced. "Fine, I'll take a trip to the compound in Portland on a goodwill mission. How's that sound?"

"Like a start. We'll just have to train you to be more charming and less I-kill-family-members-so-what-makes-you-think-I-won't-kill-you creepy."

"Or I could just take you with me and you can use your charm and wit to get them to like me."

Bonnie chuckled softly "Nobody has that much charm, Kai." He didn't respond and remained silent. When she chanced a look at him, his expression was imploring. "You're serious?"

"I promised you full access, didn't I? This will be a good chance for you to take a look at our books."

The thought excited her; so much knowledge at her fingertips. "Okay, sure. That'd be nice." Her head fell back down onto his chest as she slid her arm over his torso.

"You know," he piped up, "this is the first time I've been able to get you into bed with me."

A chuckle rumbled out of her chest. "Of course, that's where your brain goes. You're still spell-ridden." She rested her chin on his right pec. "You wouldn't be able to keep up."

"If you're on top, all I have to do is hold on." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, his hand squeezing hard at her backside.

Giggling, she wiggled out of his grasp and rolled her eyes. "In a small house full of vampires? Pass." Her laugh became a full-blown guffaw when she heard Stefan and Caroline shout from below.

"Oh, thank God." Their voices came out loud and in unison.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here there be smut! And if you like the fact that Kai's a talker, you'll enjoy it doubly so in adult situations ;P. 
> 
> Also, I had originally mentioned that this story would top out at around 15-16 chapters. However, it looks like it'll be 20-23 or so. Hybrid!BonKai is just too fun to write :). Enjoy!

Bonnie laid next to Kai, rubbing his back until she heard his breaths even out. As the night had worn on and they'd continued to talk, she'd realized just how much the spell had taken its toll on him. It wasn't just that he was tired or weak. It was as though there was a delay between his brain and the rest of his body. Small gestures and movement seemed to fare better, but walking on his own and getting up of his own accord was nearly impossible.

She'd had to undress him so that he'd be more comfortable to sleep since he didn't have the mobility to do it himself. It'd worried both of them (although his jokes about her wanting to see him naked had lightened the mood). She truly believed that there would be no lasting effects. Still, Bonnie was aware that she'd most likely have to play supernatural nurse for the next several days.

Gently easing away from him, Bonnie got up and made her way to the bedroom door. Confirming that he was still asleep, she carefully opened it and slipped out. Taking the utmost care, she closed it at a painstakingly slow pace.

She let out a huff of annoyance when she felt a presence slide in next to her. Choosing to ignore him, she edged down the hallway. Undeterred, Stefan flashed until he was in front of her, effectively blocking her path. Scoffing in annoyance, she placed a hand on his chest and shoved him towards the stairs as they both descended.

"You couldn't wait, like, five minutes for me to catch my breath?" she hissed. "At least let me make my way into the den before you accost me."

His eyebrow raised a fraction of a centimeter and he made a show of sweeping his hand across the air towards the seating area. "Being overly-dramatic doesn't suit you, Bonnie. I just couldn't risk you slipping out of here without us talking."

"Yes, because there's no way you and Caroline would have been able to sense me leaving."

At the mention of her name, Caroline came traipsing out of the kitchen, a box of cookies in her hand. She waved them at Bonnie, who grabbed the box and took a few of the soft, fresh-baked bites. "I figured we could use something sweet." The blonde handed the box to Stefan, who politely declined, and shrugged, holding them closer to her chest. She silently bid for them to follow her into the den where she had sage waiting for Bonnie.

The witch recited a quick incantation and waved her hand over the bundle, igniting the tip. Gently placing it in a glass dish on the coffee table, she stood in the middle of the room and looked down at Stefan and Caroline, who were sitting close together on the couch, eyebrows raised expectantly.

After several seconds of silence, Bonnie clucked impatiently and threw up her hands. "Just say something already."

Stefan's mouth opened and glanced over at Caroline, who bid him to continue. Turning back to Bonnie, he took in a breath. "So you and Kai seem...close."

"I can see why you'd think that." Her reply was slow and drawn out. "But the guy was being attacked by five witches simultaneously. I think my response had fit the circumstances."

"Sure, but you were so…" Stefan trailed off, finding it difficult to find a tactful way to say what he was thinking.

"What Stefan is trying to say, so very eloquently, is that we think you've got the super hots for murdery hybrid guy," Caroline cut in, her hand resting placatingly on his thigh. "But like, real hots, not just fake let's-figure-out-your-nefarious-plans hots."

Bonnie's first instinct was to deny, deny, deny. But she knew how much of an obvious farce it would be. Seeing Kai in danger had caused something within her to swell and it made her realize how much she'd grown to care about him.

Instead, she chose to be honest. "Things may have…swerved in another direction." Holding up her hand when Stefan tried to interrupt, she bade him to let her finish. "It doesn't mean I've forgotten what you guys have said. I know what he did and I know how you all feel. But there has to be a way for us to all find common ground."

"Is this the part where you tell us we need to sit down to have dinner and talk about our feelings?" Stefan deadpanned, his fingers affectionately lacing through Caroline's hand on his leg. "Because I can tell you now that Damon would rather have Katherine come back to life."

"Would it really be so bad to talk it out? I know Elena would be on board and I think you two level-headed people could see the positives of this. No more killing, no more worrying about whether or not Kai's planning your demise. Peace, Stefan. Don't we all just want peace?"

"Bonnie, Elena would only be on board because she was compelled not to grieve Jeremy's death." Caroline looked at her friend closely, blue eyes scrutinizing. "You know that situation doesn't help your case. Plus, you didn't see this guy in action, Bonnie. He murdered so many at once in cold-blood." She shuddered in thought. "And that was post-merge."

"So did the guy next to you." Bonnie caught Stefan's frown and shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, but it's true. And you've gone ripper with your humanity on before."

He nodded slowly and let out a sigh. "While that might be true, it doesn't change that he's a danger to us. And I'm sorry, Bonnie, we can't rely on you being the thing that keeps him in check. Having somebody else temper you doesn't work for the long haul. You have to be the one who's willing to keep yourself in control. I should know."

"Okay, and realistically, you could fly off the handle at any second, right? Technically speaking, if something triggers you _just_ enough, you could go on a full killing spree."

Stefan looked affronted at the accusation. "No, not now. Not the _me_ I am today."

"The 'you' of today is very heavily affected by your friends and Caroline," Bonnie insisted, pushing at him. "I'm not saying that you're not inherently good, because you are, but you can't tell me that the people around you don't play a heavy hand in the way you act. Furthermore, if you had to turn your humanity off-"

"That's a big 'if', and it wouldn't be a choice." Stefan cut her off and moved to stand, but Caroline's hand on his shoulder kept him down. "Kai has always chosen to do the wrong things. And not for the right reasons, but because he felt like it."

Grinding her teeth, Bonnie crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine, fair enough," she conceded, "and I get what you're saying. But once upon a time, you let your blood lust fuck up the good inside you, right?" When he didn't say anything, she continued. "And of course you're not that guy anymore, but you were allowed to change, and the people around you accepted your change. I'm just asking for Kai to be given the same chance."

Caroline's face was thoughtful as she took in what was said and trained her eyes on Stefan. "I mean, it's not like we haven't gotten along with the bad guys before, right? Look at Klaus. And he's, like, the ultimate bad. And we definitely did it for your brother, and you know I think he sucks."

Stefan looked like he wanted to stand up for Damon, but decided against it and turned to Bonnie. "And what if he wakes up one morning, gets pissed about something arbitrary and decides to go on a killing spree or something? Do you want that blood on your hands because you chose not to stop him?"

"Again, I could say the same of you. Or Klaus. Damon. Hell, any of us. We're supernatural beings, Stefan. We're all capable of terrible things." She let her arms drop and perched herself on the coffee table across from them. "Look, we haven't known each other long, but I'd like to think you trust me and I certainly trust you. I'm asking you to believe in my judgement. My gut tells me that we can work through this with heads intact."

Staring at her contemplatively, it took a bit before he responded. "Damon is going to go postal when he finds out."

It took everything in Bonnie not to throw up a fist in triumph. "Which is why I'm hoping maybe you and Elena can tag team him and convince him to have a powwow?" Bonnie hurried to finish her thought as he balked at her statement. "We just need to agree to one meeting. Hash it out. Damon doesn't like me. You know he won't even try to hear what I have to say."

"Because Elena and I have such a good handle on him, right?"

"Better chance than the rest of us." She offered him a hopeful smile. "Please? As much as it pains me to say this, Damon and Kai have a lot of things in common."

"Petulant, over-dramatic souls who talk too much and think murder is the first solution to everything?" Caroline chimed in with a sardonic smile.

Bonnie let out a soft chuckle. "Exactly. And if we could just get them both thinking on the same page, I think it would help things."

Turning to Caroline, Stefan was quiet for several moments as though the two were having their own silent conversation. The blonde gave him a reassuring smile and Stefan swiveled to meet Bonnie's gaze.

"Just don't be surprised if Damon doesn't end up agreeing to anything." He let out a slow breath, seemingly already regretting his decision. "He's not going to be happy about any of this. Revenge is a big thing for him."

"All we can do is have the conversation, right?" Bonnie asked optimistically. "At least we can try."

"And if he doesn't agree and decides to go to war against Kai?" Stefan hated asking the question, but he knew it needed to be addressed.

Sighing tiredly, Bonnie placed her elbows on her knees and propped her chin in her hands. She had most certainly considered that possibility. "I honestly don't know."

"You need to figure it out, Bonnie." Stefan reached forward and squeezed her shoulder affectionately. "Because if you're going to side with Kai, it's going to get messy...and even though I rarely see eye to eye with Damon, he's still my brother. And I'm going to protect him." He spoke with zero malice, merely stating a fact.

And Bonnie could understand and respect where he was coming from. She just hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"I wouldn't expect anything else from you," she said with a small smile.

Stefan took her acceptance as an end to the conversation and pulled back before standing. "I should get back to the boarding house. It's late."

Caroline followed him up to walk him to the door. Bonnie could hear her request that Stefan tell Elena to come back now that things were under control. The hybrid smiled fondly when she heard the very obvious signs of kissing before the door was gently closed.

Bounding back into the living room, the blonde vampire clucked at her friend. "Don't be nosy."

"What? I'm a vampire; I can't help what I hear."

"We're not talking about me," Caroline tutted, dragging Bonnie until they both fell onto the couch. "We need to talk about you and Kai."

"Didn't we literally just do that?" Bonnie drew her legs up and leaned back against the arm of the sofa. "There's nothing else to say."

"Yeah, but Bon. I saw your face when you saw that Kai was hurt. You really, _really_ care about him. And now with this whole 'kumbaya friendship circle' thing you're trying to get going...it's such a 180." The younger vampire mirrored her friend's position and leaned against the other arm. "And in such a short period of time. Stefan wasn't kidding when he said Damon might get pissed enough to go into full battle mode. If it comes to that, would you really choose us over him? You barely know him."

Bonnie blew out a breath. "If you're going to say that, then technically, I barely know you."

She immediately felt guilty when it was clear that her words hurt Caroline. "Care, I'm sorry. I'm not saying that we're not friends. I adore you and Elena. And I like Stefan, too." She nudged Caroline with her foot and offered a wide smile. "But if you're using time as a deciding factor, I've known you just as long as I've known him. And I'm not choosing his side. I'm not choosing anybody's side. My main goal is for all of us to move forward and have peace. Kai's been a nuisance for you and I know you fear what he may do. But he's trying, Care."

A gurgle of disbelief bubbled from Caroline's throat, but she snapped her mouth shut and let Bonnie continue.

"It sounds so stupid and cheesy, I know." Bonnie seemed aghast at her own words. "I can't say he's this different person or that he's changed his ways. But I can at least say that he's really trying and I think it's good to reward that."

"Damon might try to kill him, you know," Caroline said after a beat. "Coven members be damned."

The darker-skinned woman merely shrugged her shoulders. "He can try. I don't want Damon to die, Care, but there's a lot of wiggle room between kicking his ass and killing him." Noticing the concern on her companion's face, she shuffled until she was able to drape her arm over Caroline's knees. "If Kai is on his best behavior, then I expect the same from Damon. If Kai decides to go off the rails, then I'll subdue him myself. Fair enough?"

"You just had to go and sleep with the enemy, didn't you?"

"One. I haven't slept with him yet. Two. Pot, meet kettle. Didn't you have sexy forest times with Klaus?"

"To be fair, he, technically, wasn't really the enemy at that point." Caroline smacked Bonnie's arm away and gave her a light kick for good measure. "Besides, we're not worried about Klaus; we're worried about Kai."

Bonnie gazed at her friend beseechingly. "Care, please. I promise I will never let Kai hurt you guys." This earned her a conciliatory smile. "I also won't let you hurt him. I care about all of you." She bit her lip in thought and shook her head slightly. "Well, except for Damon."

Caroline laughed and nodded in agreement. "Well, that's a given." She hopped off the couch and glanced down at Bonnie expectantly. "So, you're heading up to Kai, I assume. Please just note that there is a vampire sharing a wall, so please be mindful."

Bonnie stood with a chuckle. "He's a useless blob right now. I couldn't even if we wanted to."

They both climbed the stairs together and separated to go to the different bathrooms. Bonnie changed into the pajamas she'd left on the shelf by the sink and quickly ran through her hygiene regimen. Now that the events of the night had been handled and things were quiet, she was starting to realize how much she wanted to lay down and decompress. Gazing in the mirror, she let her shoulders drop to ease the tension and took in a calming breath.

Making her way to the guest bedroom, she slipped under the covers and lay facing Kai. He seemed in a deep slumber, but she had to smile when he instinctively responded to the dip in the bed by turning and gently sliding his arm across her abdomen. She shimmied in closer until her back was pressed against his chest and allowed herself to relax and close her eyes.

* * *

She woke up before he did. Rousing from sleep, she relished the feeling of being cocooned underneath the blanket next to his solid form. Overnight, their positions had shifted and she now lay leaning against his side, facing him with her arm slung across his chest. He continued to sleep on his back, his head turned towards her with his chin resting over the top of her head. She let out a long breath and nuzzled deeper into him as her leg wrapped itself over his.

Bonnie remained like that for several minutes, unwilling to slip away even as she heard Caroline flitter about the floor below. Letting out a bit of a chortle, she had to admit that she never assumed that Kai could be such a snuggler. This being the first time they ever spent the night together, it was interesting to learn his nuances and preferences. When they slept, he always made it a point to be physically connected to her, even if it was just a hand on her arm or against her leg. It almost seemed as though he was afraid she would leave in the middle of the night and, so long as he had a hand on her, he would know that she was still there.

Her laughter seemed to rouse him because she heard him suck in a sudden breath and his head shifted to glance around the room. After a moment, he seemed to settle and peeked down at her.

"Good morning." He leaned down to nuzzle her nose and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Can we make waking up next to you a permanent thing, please?"

"Keep getting yourself into trouble and almost dying, and sure. Maybe we can arrange it." She gave him another quick peck before shimmying back to take him in. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm not sure." He tested his limbs by wiggling his fingers and toes, which reacted normally. Cautiously optimistic, he shuffled upward until he was able to lean his back against the headboard. Still good. He stretched his arms over his head and pivoted left and right at his waist to test his reflexes. He was moving at an almost normal pace.

It wasn't until he tried to stand that they saw how much the spell still affected him. He was able to slide his legs over the side, but crumpled the second he tried to go fully upright.

Bonnie caught him underneath his arms and gently lowered him until he was sitting back on the bed. "It's mostly affecting your lower body at this point. Better," she said softly, taking a position next to him, "but not anywhere near 100%. You could barely sit upright last night."

"This is ridiculous." His tone was angry, frustrated. "What kind of spell does this?"

Humming contemplatively, Bonnie took his hand into hers. "I was thinking about it last night. It's obviously not a typical sleeping spell. I think they wove it in with some kind of paralyzation spell. They wanted to put you into full stasis, but as a fail-safe, I assume they were trying to magically sever the link between your brain and the nerves of your body." She ran a finger along his arm and watched as the muscles twitched. "Kinda like when a human gets a spinal cord injury and is no longer able to move their limbs."

"So just in case I woke up from sleep, I still wouldn't be able to move, so I'd be effectively disabled." His lips pressed into a thin line. "Never let it be said the Geminis aren't creative."

"That's why this trip to Portland is so critical," she reminded gently. "It takes a lot of anger and hatred to weave spells this intricate."

Kai let out a sigh and rolled his eyes, flopping back against the bed. "Broken record, Bonster. I get it."

"I'm just trying to make sure you get how important this is. You're always so flippant about everything. I need you to take things more seriously. I can't take on all the worry for the both of us."

"Bonnie, seriously. What the fuck?" His voice was harsh and abrupt, coming out with a strength he hadn't displayed since the night before. "We talked about it already. I told you I'd try. What more do you want from me?"

The argument was quick, but she could already see the fight leave him. He flopped backwards back onto the bed, his feet dangling onto the floor. Not wanting to push him too much while he was recovering, she softly ruffled the top of his head in acquiescence and stretched out next to him.

"You're right, I'm sorry."

He hummed in contemplation. "Well, that was less effort than I thought it would be."

"It's only because you're injured. Otherwise, I'd never let you off this easy." Bending her elbow so that she could rest the side of her head on her palm, she offered a warm, placating smile.

Turning his head to face her, his lips curled into a wolfish grin. "If you're really sorry, you should find a better way to make it up to me. Words can be _so_ meaningless."

Bonnie let out a giggle, wanting to make fun of the fact that he seemed to get some of his pick-up lines from bad pornos. However, she chose instead to follow his lead and flipped herself onto him, positioning her feet on the ground to slide herself up his body. Once her chest was hovering over his, she moved each leg up onto the bed until she was straddling him.

"I'm so sorry I upset you, Kai. How could I possibly make it up to you?" Her tone was faux-apologetic as she humored him. She bent forward to peck his lips before straightening.

Chuckling in pleasant surprise, his hands snaked around her thighs to press against her backside, squeezing for good measure. "What, you're not going to smack me and tell me I'm being an idiot?"

Taking in his form below her, she felt her heart twist at the sight of his boyish face with his hair in disarray. His eyes, though, that was what did her in. Those intensely blue orbs that always looked at her with pure reverence and fascination. It made her feel powerful and unbelievably sexy. She preened a bit under his scrutiny, feeling a burst of joy in her abdomen that she hadn't lost him the night before, that he was still here with her.

"After the hard day you had yesterday? You deserve a little TLC." She offered a wicked smile and sat back, setting herself firmly against him. Remembering his condition, she hesitated and picked herself up a bit. "Although, I'm not sure this is the best idea considering the fact that you should be resting."

Kai yanked her to him to place a sound kiss on her lips, forcing Bonnie to catch herself with her hands placed on either side of his head so she didn't fall.

"I mean, considering we haven't seen a spell like this, we should definitely test the boundaries. See just how much of my body is affected."

She pretended to ponder his words, chewing on her lower lip before glancing back down at him. "I suppose, as proper witches, it's important for us to understand the effects." She rocked against him again, eliciting a soft moan from his throat. "But don't expect me to over-exert you."

Nodding with mock-seriousness, he thrust upward, his growing hardness pressing up against the thin fabric of her underwear. "You do whatever you feel is best."

Letting out a breathy chuckle, Bonnie hopped off completely, much to Kai's chagrin. He pouted as she walked to the end table and picked up the bundle of sage. Turning and shaking it in front of his face, she let him mutter the incantation to light it. His magic was a bit weaker than usual, but still there, which was a relief. She gently placed the herb back on its plate and slinked her way back up his body so she could get into her previous position.

She didn't budge at first, choosing to stare him down. Her hands rested low on his abdomen, touching the visible skin between where the hem of his tank had ridden up and where his boxer briefs clung to his hips. She smiled lecherously, daring him to make the first move. Part of it was to test his strength; most of it was a need to see him exert the power and control that thrilled her.

Kai didn't disappoint. He sat up so that his face was inches from hers, his hands on her ass to keep her from toppling backward. Tugging her hips to drive her harder against him, he raised his fingers to dip into the lace waistband of her panties. He pushed them down a bit so that he could palm her bare skin and leaned forward for a hard kiss against her lips.

He wasn't soft with her. His tongue peeked out and poked against her mouth, licking and demanding entrance. She opened herself to him and he let out a satisfied grunt before shifting his head to slant his lips against hers. Moving a hand upward, he threaded his fingers through her hair and clenched into a fist, jerking her head back and causing them to break apart.

Bonnie let out a strangled whine, the pleasurable pain in her roots sending electrified signals straight into her core. Kai's other hand held her firmly, moving her ass and forcing her to grind into his length.. She could feel the heat begin to radiate in between her legs, the friction stimulating her clit as she rubbed hard against him.

She sensed Kai watching her and gazed at him through half-lidded eyes. His pupils were blown and he pulled roughly at her tendrils, dragging her head further back and exposing her neck. Placing a firm, open-mouthed kiss against the side of her throat, he let his fangs drop just a bit to run against her skin. He didn't sink into her, but the act was enough to extract a long, drawn out moan. Teeth back to normal, he actually did bite her this time, marking her and claiming her as his.

Not stopping his current ministrations, Kai ripped at the fabric covering her mound and tossed the offending material off to the side.

"That's my favorite pair," Bonnie bit out before gasping at the feel of his thumb flicking against her sensitive nub.

"Will buy you a thousand new pairs," he said between bites. Wrenching his head away from her, he gave her a lascivious smile. "Better yet, stop wearing underwear altogether."

She began a retort, but could only cry out when he plunged two fingers into her slick heat, the coolness from his rings providing an amazing contrasting sensation.

"I love how wet you are for me," he growled, using one hand to pull her shirt up over her head and throwing it next to the tattered remains of her panties. He leaned in for another deep kiss. "You're so beautiful, Bonnie." His mouth moved down her body and latched onto one of her nipples. He swirled his tongue around the most sensitive area before lavishing attention to the other breast. "I can't wait to see how perfect you look when I make you cum."

His words were an aphrodisiac and she almost hit her peak from that alone. Her eyes closed involuntarily and she keened as she ground herself against him. He pushed her to lean further back for easier access so that he could put his thumb back on her clit. He pressed firmly against her in a methodical motion, eliciting frantic mews from her lips. She reached down to put her hand on top of his, changing the rhythm and bucking herself against him. Bonnie was having a sensory overload. His erection poking against her and his fingers fucking her relentlessly: she could feel her pleasure begin to build to a crescendo.

She nearly screamed when he began to emit magic from his fingers, pouring it into her. The electricity coiled around her clit, causing it to become extra-sensitive to every touch. Throwing her head back, her arms came out behind her to brace herself against his legs.

"Fuck," Bonnie practically sobbed, dragging out the word. "Kai. Oh, fuck, Kai."

Her eyes opened to take him in. His gaze, wanton. He was clearly enthralled by how her body reacted to him. Feeling the magic pulse, she became completely undone when he sent forth another wave of energy. She came hard against his fingers, her legs shaking as her walls clenched him.

He didn't let up on his movements even as she came down from her high. She shuddered from the intensity and placed her hand over his to still him. He reluctantly pulled himself from her and dropped back, propping himself up on his elbows.

Taking a moment to slow her breathing and calm herself, she slowly sat back up to look down at him. Kai seemed incredibly smug to see how he affected her, but she noticed a slight dullness in his eyes. Immediately concerned, her hands gently sandwiched his face.

"You okay?"

"Fan-fucking-tastic." His reply was genuine, but she could hear the slight fatigue lacing his words. "Waiting for you to recover, so we can go into round 2."

"Kai…"

Kai sighed and relented. "Fine, I'm a little tired, but not tired enough to stop." He sat back up to kiss her. "I still need to taste you. And feel myself inside you."

Bonnie shivered at the thought, but didn't give in. "As _wonderful_ as that all sounds, we'll save that for another day." Giving him a naughty smirk, she got off of him. "But in the meantime, I definitely believe in reciprocity."

Kai groaned from the loss of her body against his, but growled in a completely different way when she dropped to her knees in front of him. He drank in her form. Her hair mussed from his hands, her lips swollen from his kisses, the bruises he left along her neck.

"Fuck," he ground out appreciatively. "You're so-"

His words died in his throat as Bonnie placed a soft kiss on the tip of his erection over the fabric of his underwear. Sucking in a sharp breath, his head dropped back against the bed with a heavy thud.

Feeling his eyes on her, she pulled his boxer briefs down carefully over the tent he'd created until she fully freed him. She had to let out an incredulous laugh at how wet the fabric was from her arousal. She threw the garment over her shoulder without another thought.

He remained prone on his back, but lifted his head so he could see her next move.

She stopped a moment to take him in, seeing the head of his girth already begin to glisten from his anticipation. Licking her lips, her eyes flicked up to meet his. This was her favorite part of this act. Seeing the initial response. Giving very little warning, Bonnie placed her mouth over him, her tongue slithering out to lick at the sensitive underside.

"Bonnie," he hissed, his eyes rolling back as fingers gripped her hair at the roots. "Fuck, yes."

She moved down to engulf him completely and he cried out, clutching hard at the tendrils in his hands. Bonnie moaned with him in her mouth and he pulled even harder, learning that she liked it when he was rough.

He used his hand to guide her along and she let him, his groans growing louder with every motion. She hollowed out her cheeks and let her lips glide along the shaft. Her hand wrapped around his base and moved in a twisting fashion in concert with her mouth.

Kai became erratic underneath her, his legs twitching uncontrollably. His words became increasingly filthy with each bob of her head.

"Your mouth is fucking amazing," he drawled with a deep, guttural moan. "I can't even imagine what your pussy's like. I want to bury myself all the way inside you. Fuck you until you cum around my cock. It's gonna be magic."

She could feel the wetness start to drip out down her thighs, for once appreciating how much he enjoyed talking. Opening her mouth wider, Bonnie took him to the hilt, her throat stretching to take all of him.

Kai's words were a string of nonsensical swears, his hands leaving her hair to grip at the sheets. His hips thrust upward, choking her slightly, but she held him down and took back her control. Ensuring that she still had all of him in her mouth, she loosened up the back of her throat and swallowed several times. The muscles clenched and twitched around the sensitive head. It was a trick she'd picked up over the years and she knew it drove men absolutely crazy.

Kai was no exception. Were it not for Bonnie holding him down, he would have bucked completely off the bed. With a gravelly howl, he reached his peak and emptied himself into her mouth.

Bonnie swallowed every drop before pulling off with a loud pop. She leaned back against her feet and watched him recover with a satisfied smirk. Once his chest evened, she stood and perched onto the bed.

"So," she began nonchalantly, "the spell did not leave any lasting issues with your body. That's good."

Kai just laughed tiredly, his forearm covering his eyes. "Woman, I think my soul just left my body."

"But your dick is fine?"

Peeking out from under his arm, he stuck his tongue out at her like an immature child. "More than fine." He shot out to grip her arm and yanked her until she toppled down next to him. "Just wait until I'm back at 100%. I will definitely, _definitely_ rival what you just did to me."

Bonnie placed a feathery kiss onto Kai's shoulder and nodded contentedly. "I am most looking forward to that."

Hand lacing through hers, Kai let out an audible comfortable sigh. "I'm definitely in my happy place right now."

Remembering the conversation from the night before, she nuzzled his hairline and gave him her most hopeful look. "Happy enough to agree to dinner at the boarding house with the Salvatores and gang?"

"Wait, what?"


End file.
